Tabby Cats and Wizards
by SilverTabbyAndOtter
Summary: Minerva finds a young muggle born in need of help. Who is she to turn down a young charge in need? Will Annabelle break into her heart? Set starting in the Golden Trio's second year at Hogwarts. A little bit of AD/MM in there too.
1. Tough Love

Summary: Annabelle's a muggle born witch who gets tossed into the wizarding world without the support of her family. Who's there to save her but our stern deputy headmistress, herself.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters affiliated with J. K. Rowling's wonderful masterpiece. I only own Annabelle and the Wytes thus far...

August 26

Annabelle woke up, groaning at the golden rays of sunshine already peaking through her second-story window. Today was supposed to be a big day for kids, especially special ones like herself, not that she knew any better. She dragged herself out of bed and pulled a long sleeve tee-shirt out of her closet, slipping it over her head and wincing as the cloth covered her bruised skin. Realizing that her parents would be upset if she delayed making breakfast much longer, she hurriedly slipped on a pair of jeans and rushed downstairs, careful not to make a noise. As she got out the skillet to make pancakes on, the doorbell rung and she grimaced, knowing it would wake up her parents.

"Get that!" Came the shrill yell from upstairs, urging her to answer the door before the visitor made any more noise. Annabelle quickly set the skillet down on the counter and sprinted for the door, screwing her face up in pain as she bumped into the table on her way. She took a moment to compose herself before swinging the door open, mouth gaping open at the strange woman's attire.

She wore green emerald robes and a pointed hat. She looked to be older than her mother and stood at least a foot taller than the petite child. They stood in silence for a moment before the woman's thin lips split into a warm smile. "You must be Annabelle Wyte. Am I right?" The strange woman stuck a hand out to Annabelle and the younger girl subconsciously stepped away from the woman, nodding though. After a pregnant pause, the woman lowered her hand slightly awkwardly and her grin faltered for a moment. Why was this child so distant from her? "Miss Wyte, are your parents here?" At a slight nod, she pushed on. "May I speak with them?" The child looked unsure so the woman smiled again, and decided to explain herself. "I am Professor McGonagall, Transfiguration instructor and deputy headmistress at Hogwarts." She decided to leave out the part about it being a school for aspiring witches and wizards until after she met Miss Wyte's parents. The girl seemed timid enough as it was.

Just then, Mrs. Wyte came thudding down the stairs and Annabelle winced despite herself. Her mother was not going to be happy that this woman had come before she had her morning cocktail. At least it seemed that her father was still asleep upstairs. Mrs. Wyte made her way to Annabelle and stood over her and was about to yell at her for keeping the door open so long when she noticed the strange woman's attire. "Who are you?" She leaned against the wall with her robe hastily tied at her waist, barely containing her figure as she sneered at the woman.

Professor McGonagall was certainly puzzled, and slightly concerned, about Mrs. Wyte's behavior, but she pushed it aside as simply being early and extended her hand. "I'm Professor Minerva McGonagall. I'm here on behalf of Hogwart's staff, hoping to inform you that young Miss Annabelle, here, has been accepted to our school." She gestured at the young girl, only to have her look quickly between the two older women, not sure which way to turn. McGonagall seemed nice enough, but her mother could act nice sometimes too. She wanted to just blend into the wall, but that didn't really seem possible.

Mrs. Wyte laid a hand upon her daughters shoulder, suddenly pretending to be a good parent. "I don't remember Anna applying for any school. She already has a school to go to in the fall." At this point, her hand tightened a little on Annabelle's shoulder and the young girl visibly winced.

Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow at the odd display in front of her. "Do you mind if I come in? I believe this is a discussion that would go smoother if we could all sit down and talk." She didn't have to wonder long what the short blonde was going to choose as she hastily shook her head. Everything this woman did seemed to be without any though or deliberation and this was slightly unsettling to the stern professor. "Alright, then we'll continue this right here." Minerva then wandlessly and wordlessly cast a silencing spell on the area. She didn't need muggles hearing what was going on and getting curious. "Hogwarts is a school of witchcraft and wizardry. This is not a school you simply apply for. When a gifted student," The older witch again gestured at Annabelle. "Is born, their name is given to us and when the time comes, we send them a letter. " At this time, she procured a small envelope with the Hogwarts seal on the outside. Handing it to Annabelle, she grinned again. "If permitted, Miss Wyte will make her way to Kings Cross Station on September 1st and board the Hogwart's Express. Before then, a member of the staff will come and take Miss Wyte to Diagon Alley where she will purchase the items she will require for the school year."

Again, Mrs. Wyte shook her head indignantly. "I won't have my child going to some school for freaks." She moved to slam the door when Annabelle stepped in the way at the same time as the professor stuck the toe of her shoe into the door.

Annabelle was hit with the door and Professor McGonagall gasped lightly before stepping inside. She smiled, seemingly sweet, as she reigned in her temper. "Mrs. Wyte, her powers will not simply go away if she does not receive instruction. It will only get worse as her powers grow. If she goes to Hogwarts, we can teach her how to control her powers. That would be the best option for everyone involved." Minerva nodded curtly, pleased to have kept her speech at least civil.

Mrs. Wyte sniffed and crossed her arms, effectively huffing like a small child. "It won't be the best option for the ones who have to pay her tuition." She knew the woman couldn't beat that argument.

"Mrs. Wyte, I doubt Hogwarts cost much more than any other boarding school you might send her too and if money is really that big of a problem, I'm sure it can be taken care of by other means."

Mrs. Wyte admitted defeat, but upon this revelation, she stumbled upon another. She looked to the strange woman again, giving a curt, "Stay here." She then tugged Annabelle inside as she shut the door. "Go pack your things. If this woman wants you to go to this school so badly, she'll bloody well take you now." Mrs. Wyte then headed up to tell her hung over husband the news as Annabelle went to quickly throw all her belongings into her trunk. She piled her small wardrobe into the trunk and then moved to squash as many books inside as she could fit without crushing her flute. Satisfied that she only had to leave behind one shelf of books, she began to tug her trunk into the hall, struggling the whole way.

Upon reaching the hallway, Annabelle practically stumbled into her mother as she flew down the stairs, grinning maliciously. Deciding that her mother's conversation was more important than moving the trunk, she crept down the stairs to listen in. Professor McGonagall has asked if her mother and father had made a decision, to which there was no reply that Annabelle could hear. She gathered that her mother had simply nodded her head before speaking. "If she's going to your blasted school, then you better be ready to take her now. When does she come back?"

Minerva was again taken aback. Mrs. Wyte seemed absolutely hostile toward both her own daughter and the professor. "She can come back for the major holidays, such as Christmas." Professor McGonagall could only hope she was asking when she could come back, not when she had to.

Sadly, though, the professor was soon proven wrong as the woman's grin only seemed to grow in size. "And the school year ends when? In June?" Things would be so much better without the little brat around.

Again, the answer was simply made up of an eerie silence as Annabelle listened in from the staircase. Just as her mother began to speak again, Annabelle was wrenched up by her collar. "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" Her father had come down the stairs behind her and now held her in front of him, his wretched breath filtering into her nose. Annabelle didn't dare answer as she knew it would only get her into more trouble as he practically dragged her back up the stairs and tossed her carelessly into the room, not even flinching as her arm banged against the foot of her bed and she fell to the ground. "While you're gone, this is our secret." He shook his filthy finger in her face as he leaned over her. "If you tell a single bloody one of them what goes on in this room, it won't only be your life on the line. No one will want you anyway. You just wait and see. They'll be done with you soon enough and then you'll come crawling back to your mother and me." He then smirked and stood up again. "You just better hope we're willing to take you back." At this, her father turned around and made his way back to his bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

He was right. No one would ever want her and soon she'd be sent back home to live with him. She wiped at her tears and pulled herself back up. She could at least have a little time away from them. That meant making her way downstairs with her heavy trunk and impressing the professor, though. As she finally made her way to the top of the stairs, her trunk began to float its way down the stairs and toward the front door. Annabelle's mouth opened in a wide "o" as she chased after her trunk, gasping as she saw it shrink to the size of a matchbox. Her tiny trunk landed in the palm of Professor McGonagall's hand, who just smiled at the young child's awe. "You can learn to do that, too. Your mother said you could come with me now. That is only if you'd like to, of course." The woman kept up her warm exterior as she reached out a hand to the young child.

Annabelle took a step away from her outreached hand, only to receive a sad smile in response. "Where are we going?" She didn't understand why she had to take the woman's hand if they were leaving.

"Well, I was going to ask your mother if we could use your backyard to apparate away, given as I'd risk exposing us if I were to perform such magic right here. The trunk was one thing, but this kind of magic is something totally different, but you have to take my hand for me to do it. In fact, it'd be better if you took a hold of my arm and held on tightly." She then paused, looking to Mrs. Wyte again. "May we use your backyard?" As she was met with a nod, she led Annabelle out back. "Alright, now I need you to hold on as tight as you can." Professor McGonagall waited for her young charge to comply before she turned on the spot and apparated them both to her expansive manor.


	2. A Lindy Helping Hand

Disclaimer:I'm not J.K. Rowling. I don't own what she owns... I own Lindy & Annabelle.

Warning: Mention of AD/MM. Will occur further in later chapters, but this fic will be featuring on Minerva & her young charge more than anything else. R & R :)

Minerva grinned as they arrived at the manor and Annabelle sat still, clutching her stomach. "You're doing very well for your first time side-along apparating. Most people would have emptied their stomachs all over my carpet on the first time." She then smiled and gestured toward the sitting area. "Please, make yourself comfortable. Would you like a cup of tea?" Minerva grinned openly, no longer plagued by the thoughts of silly muggles.

Annabelle quickly nodded. She was so hungry, but she didn't dare tell the professor that. She looked around, comforted by the warm shades of maroon and gold spread throughout the room. The fire place was accompanied by a beautiful mantel that had all sorts of nick nacks and picture frames spread across it. The fire place was huge, with more than enough room for a person to walk right into it. This caused Annabelle to giggle as images of a rather rotund man falling down the chimney came to mind. Her mood was quickly dampened as she remembered the reason that she'd never believed in Saint Nicholas. He supposedly came to visit all the good little boys and girls, yet no matter how good she was, he never came. Eventually, she figured out what was going on and she simply waited until everyone else figured it out as well. It took a lot longer for the kids who had loving parents, but she didn't blame them. After all, it wasn't their fault that they were loved and she wasn't.

Minerva poked her head into the room again only to find Miss Wyte lost in thought. Somehow, she felt like she was intruding on the girl's moment of solitude, so she made her way back into the kitchen. Remembering that her husband would be home soon, she flicked her wand, casting her patronous and giving it orders to go find her husband and warn him that they had a visitor. They'd have to discuss why she was here later, but she'd wait to speak with him in person about that. For now, she just wanted to make sure Annabelle was okay. She then picked up both mugs of tea and offered one to her charge. "Here you go, lass."

Annebelle smiled at her Scottish brogue, which was much like her own. "Thank you." She moved to sip the tea when a thought suddenly occurred to her. This witch could have easily put something in her cup. As she pondered this thought for a moment, she realized that it couldn't be any worse than going back home, so she took a sip. It was earl grey tea in all of its magnificence. She inhaled deeply as the tendrils of smoke met her nostrils.

"Now, I must warn you that my husband will be home in a matter of hours. I'm sure he will be pleased to see you, but you don't have to speak with him if you don't want. I expect you'll be staying with us until term starts about a week from now. Until then, you'll be staying in one of our guest bedrooms. Would you rather see that now or after you've finished your tea? Either way is fine." Minerva smiled and took a hearty drink of her own tea, savoring the taste as the hot liquid dripped down her throat.

Annabelle pondered her options for a moment. She would really like to see her temporary room, but she'd also like to finish her tea. She supposed that finding her new hiding place would be a good idea and she concluded that the tea might still be there when she got back. "Can I see the room please?" She didn't dare call it hers when speaking about it to the professor. She didn't want the professor to correct her because if she did, it would diminish all thoughts of the room being hers.

"Of course." Minerva stood up, stretching and groaning as old joints popped. "Right this way, lass." Minerva was inwardly kicking herself for being so informal around the girl, but she couldn't seem to help it. She led the way up a set of stairs and then pointed to the door at the end of the hallway. "That's mine and Albus' room. If you ever need something during the night, that's where you'll find us." She then turned and walked straight across from the stairs, opening up the door to her room. "This is where you'll be staying. There's a bathroom attached through that door," She pointed to the one to their left." And the closet is through the door to our right." She grinned at the girl's awestruck face. She didn't really think the room was really all that great, but she did grow up in it, so her view was slightly biased. "Now, if you need anything, you can also feel free to call upon the house elves. Lindy will be at your service for the week. Lindy!"

Annabelle didn't have a moment to question the witch before a loud 'pop' was heard, not unlike the pop they made as they apparated away from her home. She then looked around as she heard a small voice speak. "Yes, Mistress?" before it piped up and just about shouted, "Oh! Mistress brought home a little miss! How may I be of service Miss?" The little creature was practically squirming in front of her as it she waited for a command.

Seeing the girl's confused, overwhelmed expression, Minerva stepped in to help again. "Annabelle, Lindy, here, is a house elf. She will be here to aid you during the week when I cannot help you, or when you'd rather her company. All you have to do is say her name and she will come to you." Minerva then directed her charge's gaze back to the short, floppy-eared, creature who just happened to be nodding at her statement. "Now, I will leave you two to finish unpacking." She again, wordlessly levitated the trunk and enlarged it, letting it come to sit at the end of the queen sized bed. "Lunch will be ready in a few hours, but Lindy can help you if you're hungry before then." She gave the elf a quick wink before heading downstairs to read for a bit.

Annabelle looked around the room, still shocked by how well the older witch was treating her. She was steadily working to unpack her trunk when Lindy snapped her fingers and everything flew to its correct spot. "Is little miss hungry? Can Lindy help little miss with anything?"

Shaking her head, Annabelle plopped on the bed, only to have her stomach betray her by giving a loud growl. She groaned and covered her face with a pillow, not wanting to let the elf see her reddened face. By doing this, she missed the soft 'pops' that happened, one after another, as Lindy went to the kitchen to retrieve some food.

Lindy set a platter on the bed and looked on at the embarrassed witch. "Miss, Lindy brought some food for you."

Annabelle slowly lifted the pillow off of her face, letting herself relish in the smells of delightful food. Lindy had also brought a pot of tea, which Annabelle was even more pleased with. She threw herself on the floor and wrapped her arms around the small elf. "Thank you, Lindy."

Lindy wrapped her short, little arms around the witch and smiled. Her Mistress did a wonderful job at picking which student to bring home with her. This one was so nice to Lindy. Yes, she be very nice to Lindy. Lindy only hoped that Master would like little miss too. Maybe they could keep little miss. Oh, Lindy hoped that they could keep her.

Eventually, little miss pulled back and wiped a tear away as she climbed back on the bed, quickly digging in to the food and gulping down tea. She felt so famished and the food was so good. When she finally finished eating, she asked Lindy to take the tray back to the kitchen and she laid down on the bed. After curling up, she found she was falling asleep within minutes.

When Lindy reappeared, she smiled at the sight before her. Little miss was asleep in Mistress' old bed. Lindy remembered tucking Mistress in when she was only a little miss. That had been years ago and Lindy missed having a little one to help take care of. She then snapped her fingers and apparated into the study where she knew Mistress would be reading. She bowed deeply and waited to be recognized.

Minerva heard the loud 'crack,' signaling that someone had apparated into the room. Upon looking up, she saw a smiling Lindy and shook her head. That elf never did learn. She didn't have to bow to Minerva, and she hadn't for years and years. "Yes, Lindy? Is Miss Wyte alright?" She asked this as concern seeped into her voice a little as her Scottish accent intensified.

"Oh, yes, Mistress. Little miss is wonderful." Lindy nodded her head vigorously as her ears flopped all over the place. "Little miss ate and then fell asleep. I think she liked the Gryffindor colors. Is she a lion?" The little elf had learned a lot about Hogwarts from working there during the school year, as well as serving the deputy headmistress on a regular basis. She hoped the young one followed in her Mistress' footsteps.

"Well, Lindy, she's going to be a first year. I don't know whether she will be a Gryffindor or not. You see, she could be from any house at all. She might not be mine." Minerva sighed, thinking that she'd seen traits from every house except Slytherin in the young girl. Minerva's face fell a little at this, but she forced herself not to dwell on it any further. She couldn't really get attached. "Thank you for all your help Lindy. You're dismissed unless Miss Wyte needs you any further."

With another 'pop,' Minerva was left alone to her worries, again berating herself for caring about this young girl so much.

_It's just because she's one of my cubs, a student, right?_


	3. Messengers

Special thanks go out to my lovely, best friend, Kayla who reads my stories and tells me how good (or bad) they are without mercy. Also, thanks to lucky1961 for commenting and LillyPheonix, nofearonlylove, and Elli6 for adding my story to their favorites or subscribing to alerts.

Also, I know it's a little slow right now, but just wait 'til the school year picks up. The Chamber of Secrets is a terrifying time for a muggle born witch and all those that care about them.

Disclaimer: I'm not J.K. Rowling. I don't own any characters from Harry Potter. I don't own Hogwarts or anything from any of her books or movies or head. Just making it clear one more time: I'm not J. K. Rowling.

Minerva glanced to her large grandmother clock and smiled. It was about time for her to head into the kitchen. The professor had decided on making Shepherd's Pie for both of them and that would take awhile in the stove without the assistance of a wand. Growing up in a house where her father was very interested in muggles forced her to learn a thing or two about the way muggles live. Minerva had simply found that cooking the muggle way was very therapeutic.

Glancing down at her current attire, Minerva shook her head. This was professor attire and there was a student in the manor, but she really didn't think it was necessary to wear proper clothes right now. Her tartan emerald robes were a bit bulky and a light pair of tartan trousers and a blouse would be much more comfortable. Certainly, that wouldn't be inappropriate in her own home.

Professor McGonagall made her way up the stairs, but found herself distracted by the door across from the staircase. It wouldn't hurt to check on the child. She transformed into her animagus form of a little tabby cat with square spectacle markings where her golden frames sat as a human. Minerva then silently walked into the room, peaking up at the bed.

A strange whimpering sound could easily be heard and this puzzled the cat. She had trouble seeing her charge from the floor so she carefully jumped onto the bed only to find the young girl flailing her arms. She transformed back into her human form and reached a hand out to the girl, lightly grabbing her shoulder as she whispered, "Hush, hush, lass. You're fine. You're safe. Miss Wyte, you need to wake up." Growing nervous, Minerva gently shook the girl. What else was she to do? The girl wouldn't wake up and she was clearly having a nightmare. A sense of urgency began to seep into Minerva's heart. "Miss Wyte! Wake up, lass." Minerva again shook the girl, taking a blow from the young girl's arms as she continued to flail. Though it stung, this didn't deter Minerva in the slightest. "Annabelle! Come on Belle."

Finally, the girl shot up out of sleep and she looked around, scanning the room in terror. As her eyes settled on the elder witch, she shook her head, ignoring the tears that were beginning to overflow. "Oh! Oh, Professor, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep. I'm so sorry."

Minerva didn't ignore Annabelle's tears though. "Miss Wyte, there is no need to apologize for falling asleep." She shook her head, mimicking the girl's actions. "If you are tired, then you sleep. You don't need to be sorry." She noticed her hand was still holding the girl's shoulder and quickly withdrew it. "Now, would you like to tell me what you were dreaming about when I woke you up?"

Annabelle shook her head. "No, ma'am. It's not important." As Minerva quirked an eyebrow, Annabelle sighed. "Professor uh…McGonagall, it's really not important. Don't worry about it, please." Her eyes pleaded with the stern professor and more tears leaked from the same forest green orbs.

Minerva wrung her hands, slightly nervous around the child. She only remembered how her mother had comforted her when she was little, but she also didn't think she had the right to touch Miss Wyte at this point in time. After all, they'd only just met this morning. "Alright, well it's approaching noon. Would you like to get something to eat?" Maybe a little food would help Belle loosen up a bit. The professor hated seeing a child so upset, especially because of a nightmare. She knew how bad nightmares could be, and she only dealt with them so well because of Albus. If Minerva didn't have him to comfort her at night, she didn't know what she would do. "I can cook for you or we can go to Diagon Alley and eat in town."

Annabelle wiped away any evidence that she'd been crying and tried to smile. "Lindy brought me food earlier, but I am getting a little hungry again." She blushed a little and dropped her gaze to her lap, catching sight of Minerva's hands in the process. Why was such a regal woman nervous and why would she offer to cook for Annabelle? Annabelle always did all the cooking at her home. An adult cooking was a foreign concept to her. "I think I'd like to go to Diagon Alley." She smiled a little, but quickly caught herself. "Um, I mean, if that's okay with you." Belle didn't want to cross Professor McGonagall already.

"Of course! We can pick up your school supplies while we're in town, as well, if you'd like. We can have lunch and then I can let you explore Diagon Alley a little while." Minerva caught herself grinning again and fought to find her stern composure again. "I'll let you finish getting ready while I go freshen up." Minerva got up, awkwardly patting the young girl on the knee as she got up. Upon entering her room, she sank down at her desk and pulled out a quill and a piece of parchment.

_Albus,_

_I told you we have a visitor, and well, that's true. We've also decided to go out to lunch. If you'd like to meet us in Diagon Alley for lunch, we'll be heading that way in about half an hour. I'll explain everything later. _

_With love,_

_Min_

Minerva let her great horned owl out of its cage and tied the letter to its foot. "Alright, Theo. Take this to Albus for me, but don't bother waiting for a response." She then slid a hand down its head and back, letting it enjoy being pet for a moment before she opened her window, letting Theo make his way outside.

Meanwhile, Annabelle was sitting in her room, slipping a pair of boots over her calves. She tied them up to just below her knees and let her jeans fall back over them. She hadn't even bothered to put shoes on before leaving her little house in Dundee. After running a brush through her hair, she walked and stood at her doorway, not knowing where to go. It wasn't her place to roam around her professor's home, but she didn't want to bother her professor either. Maybe the house elf could help her. "Lindy?"

With a 'crack,' Lindy appeared in front of Annabelle, bowing at the waist before standing up. The little witch giggled a little upon seeing the elf. She had one ear flopped backwards like a puppy and was now standing at attention. The elf gave a crooked grin, and pat down her burgundy dress. "How may I be of service, Little Miss?"

"Do you know when Professor McGonagall will be ready or do you know where I can wait?" Annabelle trusted the little elf, but she wasn't so sure about Minerva yet.

Lindy's smile grew so that it spread from ear to floppy little ear as she snapped her fingers and was gone.

Down the hall, Minerva jumped a foot in the air upon hearing the 'pop.' Of course, she should have expected it, but she wasn't exactly decent, so she was a little more jumpy than normal. "Oh, Lindy, what is it you need?" Reaching into her closet, Minerva pulled out a light weight emerald button up and a pair of grey slacks. To her mother's dismay, Minerva actually preferred the feel of muggle clothing. After a moment of silence from Lindy, Minerva turned back toward her elf.

"Well, Mistress, I believe little miss could use your assistance. She seems a bit lost." Little miss didn't seem to be very pleased with being at Mistress' home. She cried a lot and seemed very sad. This made Lindy sad, too.

"Well, Lindy, as you can see, I'm not exactly presentable." Saying this, Minerva slipped on the slacks and quickly zipped and buttoned them. She then threw her button-up over her black tank top and slipped on a pair of black boots. "Where is she?"

Lindy looked up, slightly nervous. "She's in her room, Mistress, but Lindy was wondering if Lindy could perhaps help Mistress get ready quicker. Lindy would also like permission to prepare a nice dinner for Master, Mistress, and Little Miss. Lindy misses making dinner for a family. All house elves here do."

Before Minerva had the opportunity to respond to Lindy, she disapparated with another quick 'pop.' She had been called away by Annabelle, who was waiting in her room, growing anxious with every passing second. "What's going on, Lindy? Why were you gone so long? Was she mad at you?"

"No, little miss. Mistress was simply getting ready and was taking her time talking to me. Mistress likes talking to Lindy. Yes, yes, she does." Again, the little elf was nodding her head vigorously and then she grinned and reached out to touch Annabelle's arm. What Lindy didn't expect, was for little miss to jerk away. This concerned Lindy and she desperately wanted to tell Mistress. "Little miss, she should be on her way soon." She paused for a moment and lifted her head, leaning closer to the door. "Actually, she's on her way now. Are you ready to go?"

Annabelle simply nodded and met Professor McGonagall outside of her door. She was shocked to see her teacher wearing clothes similar to her own, expect for the fact that her teacher had a gold traveling cloak draped around her shoulders. Her raven hair was pulled into a tight bun on top of her head and her gold spectacles once again sat on the bridge of her nose. Minerva McGonagall really did look very regal to her young charge. It wasn't every day Belle saw someone as pretty as Minerva. It wasn't every day she found out she was a witch either. Today was just full of surprises.


	4. What Ifs

Thanks to my friends for convincing me to do this. Who knew you were right? Thanks to Juliefan1, as well, for favoriting.

Disclaimer: You know the drill...I don't own J.K. Rowling's work.

"Miss Wyte, I take it you are ready to head off?"

The question shook Annabelle out of her thoughts and she blinked a few times before nodding. "Yes ma'am. I'm ready to go."

As Minerva stuck out her arm, Annabelle inwardly groaned and tightly grasped her arm. Suddenly, Belle felt a pull at her navel and her body felt like it was being squeezed through a tight tube before they suddenly landed with the young witch landing flat on her butt. It took Belle a minute to recover from apparating before she let Minerva pull her off the ground.

To both women's surprise, Minerva didn't release Annabelle's hand as they began to walk down the crowded streets of Diagon Alley. Minerva reasoned that it simply kept her from losing Annabelle in the crowd, but she also knew that she was lying to herself. She wanted to have the little girl close to her, but she didn't really know why except that she wanted to protect her.

Their first stop would be Gringotts, but they had to walk past many shops to get there. There were witches and wizards selling a great deal of goods. The goods ranged from strange silver instruments, to an assortment of eyes, to owls, to books, and even something as simple as robes. Annabelle wished she had more time to take it all in as they continued walking toward a huge white building, labeled "Gringotts Bank" in gold. On the opposite side of Gringotts was a darker, gloomier street. Annabelle's curiosity got the best of her and she gently squeezed her mentor's hand. "Where's that street lead to?"

Minerva smiled at the light squeeze. This was the kind of thing she had always dreamed of doing with a child of her own. The little things are what she missed. She and Albus had tried to have kids, only to find out that Minerva couldn't carry a child to term due to her injuries in the first wizarding war. Looking down Knockturn Alley, Minerva was reminded of the 'quality time' she spent with dark wizards. "That's Knockturn Alley. It's where many dark witches and wizards move about, lass. I'd recommend staying away from there." Squeezing her young charge's hand in return, Minerva led her up the stairs to Gringotts and into a wide room with many goblins spread throughout it. The professor walked all the way to the opposite side of the room and stopped in front of a tall counter, which came all the way up to her shoulders.

Annabelle couldn't even try to see over the top, but she didn't want to either. These goblins were really beginning to frighten her. They looked really mean and kept giving the pair very obvious, disapproving looks.

Minerva set her wand and a small silver key onto the counter and gave the goblin her best, stern, teacher look. "I'd like to make a withdrawal from the McGonagall vault." Though Minerva despised goblins as well, she didn't let them see it. She kept a constant facade while around people, or creatures, she didn't like or know very well.

The goblin, who they'd later found out was called Schmorick, picked up her wand and carefully studied it from every angle. No fraud would get past him. He then picked up the key and handed Minerva her wand again. "Follow me." His voice was gravelly and much lower than Annabelle had expected. He didn't wait to see if the women were following as he walked away. He ran his finger down the crevice of a door. Annabelle watched in awe as the door swung open before them and led them to what looked like a train cart. The goblin stepped onto it and gestured for them both to follow suit.

Once they were all on the cart, it took off and Annabelle found herself clinging to Minerva. Minerva was shocked by the sudden movement, but just wrapped her arms around her charge's frail figure and smiled. The professor would gladly keep Belle close if that's what she wanted. The goblin ignored the whole exchange, so no one knew that Minerva was grinning from ear to ear as she held the child close to her. When the cart finally stopped, Annabelle realized she was still clinging to Minerva and cleared her throat as she awkwardly stepped away, mumbling an apology as she did so. Gently, she squeezed the girl's shoulder, dismissing her apology with the simple action.

The goblin finally unlocked the vault and pronounced, "Vault 9,632: Minerva McGonagall. I will wait for you to collect your withdrawal before we head back up." He then stepped back onto the cart and stood, impatiently waiting for the witches to grab their money so he could go back to his desk.

Eventually, Annabelle pulled her gaze away from her shoes and was shocked by what she saw. Only a matter of meters away from her, were piles and piles of silver and gold coins. She couldn't help, but stare. The walls were lined with valuable trinkets and Minerva walked into the vault as if this was normal. Was it normal for witches and wizards to have so much money?

Grabbing a small red pouch out of her cloak pocket, Minerva took a heaping handful of gold coins and dropped them in. The pouch was smaller than her palm, but due to an undetectable extension charm, it could hold everything in her vault. Giving her decisions a second thought, she grabbed a few more gold and silver coins to stick in her pouch.

Upon turning around, Minerva was met with the sight of a stunned student. The professor just chuckled and led the girl back toward the cart, ignoring the goblin's muttering about slow humans. The ride back to Gringotts' lobby seemed to take longer than the decline. Part of that was due to the distance between Minerva and her young charge. The elder witch would have preferred to hold the child again, but she wasn't going to force herself upon the young girl. Belle would come to her if she wanted her comfort, right?

Just as they were exiting the building, a silver, partially transparent phoenix flew up to the pair, circling around Minerva's head once before stopping directly in front of her. The phoenix drew itself up to full height before it began to speak. "Give me another twenty minutes and I'll meet you at the Leaky Cauldron. Let me know if that won't work."

Minerva grinned and ran a hand through the silvery wisps as it began to fade away. "Are you willing to wait a little while longer before we eat?" Though Minerva would prefer to wait for her husband, this decision was completely up to her young charge. She was the one who looked almost emaciated, after all. Minerva was thin, but Albus would never let her get that bad again. It was hard enough gaining weight back the first time.

Annabelle couldn't help but nod at her professor's question. Who was she to tell her professor 'no?' She didn't know who they were waiting on and could only presume that it was the professor's husband.

"While we wait, would you like to stop by Madam Malkin's to get sized for your robes? They normally take about an hour or two to make, so we can pick them up later this afternoon." Minerva was ready to jump into this shopping business and get going. This fact shocked her, but she didn't let herself dwell on it. Plus, if she stayed like this, Pomona, Poppy, and Rolanda would be pleased with her. It would give them even more of a reason to like Annabelle.

For a moment, the young witch let everything excite her, but then she realized that she was on her own. Her parents didn't send her with any money to buy supplies with. She only had a little bit from doing chores for her neighbors and that was packed away at her professor's home. "Well, you see…professor… My parents didn't exactly send me with any money for supplies. Maybe today wouldn't be a good day to go shopping." By the time Annabelle finished speaking, her gaze was set firmly on the toe of her boots and she did not plan on changing this fact any time soon.

"Miss Wyte, I don't recall saying that you needed to go purchase your robes. I said you need to get sized for them." Minerva sighed and placed a finger under Annabelle's chin to lift her gaze again. "I will be purchasing your robes. You saw my vault. I have more than enough money for the both of us, lassie. Plus, even if I didn't have quite that much money at Gringotts, my husband has almost as much in his own vault. Now, I suggest we hurry over to Madam Malkin's to get you fitted before we go eat." With this, she let her hand come around Annabelle's shoulders and gently nudged her along. After a few steps, she let go but found herself missing the child's warmth already.

Annabelle stood still in shock until the elder witch pushed her along. Why was this witch being so generous? What did she have to gain for helping out a lonely kid who knew nothing about magic? She probably wasn't even smart enough to do very well at this school of hers. After all, she only just found out about magic.

Next thing she knew, Annabelle was being lightly pushed toward a door which seemed to open by itself. Now, Annabelle knew this couldn't be the case, but then again, everything seemed to be possible now. These thoughts were shooed out of her head as a petite witch came bustling their way.

"Oh, Minerva! You are looking just splendid, my dear. Now, who is this young lady you have with you? She must be one of your cubs! Oh, but she's so small. Can't be older than a second year. Oh, no. This won't do at all. Come here, dear. Let me measure you." The woman reached out, tugging on Annabelle's hand as she pulled her toward a step in the middle of the room. Annabelle obliged, but felt her whole body tense as the woman's hands continued to touch separate parts of her adolescent body. Of course, the woman meant no harm, but how was the young with to know that? She stood rigid in front of the seamstress, standing up straight upon instruction. Her mouth suddenly fell agape as numerous tape measures began to twist around her body, checking sizes all over her figure.

Minerva hadn't bothered to step in Madam Malkin's way as she began her work. "She needs school robes and at least one light cloak and one heavy one as well. The heavy one should be the same style that Albus got me last Christmas. Keep the colors standard blacks, greys, and whites. She's a first year, so we don't know what house she'll be in yet." At the look of disappointment that crossed the seamstress' face, Minerva sighed. "Fine, give her something in Gryffondor red. I know you'll do it anyway, so add that as well." The professor studied her new pupil for a moment before nodding. "I'm thinking we should add a couple of white button ups and a few pair of slacks. Again, keep them monotone. I don't need her ending up in Ravenclaw and being outfitted for Gryffondor. Filius will have my head." She smiled at this thought and made her way over to Madam Malkin. "How much will this be today?"

Madam Malkin started to shake her head when Professor McGonagall gave her a hard glare, reminiscent of the ones she gave her students at Hogwarts. "A galleon and six sickles."

Minerva again smiled and handed Madam Malkin the coins. She began to direct Annabelle to the door when she stopped to ask, "How long until they'll be ready?"

"An hour, maybe. It'll be two if I get a rush. Will you still be around?"

Minerva just nodded and ushered Annabelle out the door. "Now, I suggest we make our way back to the Leaky Cauldron. I expect Albus will be there when we arrive."

"Sure," Belle muttered. She didn't really want to share her time with anyone else. She was coming to really like Professor McGonagall already. She couldn't wait to see how good of a teacher she was. Surely, she was bloody brilliant. A small smile spread across her face, thinking about her classes at Hogwarts. She was really looking forward to this school year, even if she was a little nervous. However, she was much more nervous about meeting her professor's husband at the moment. If he didn't like her, then she probably wouldn't get to stay with them very long.

_What if he hates me?_


	5. Candies And Kittens

Special thank goes out to Big poi, Captain-Sarah-Janeway, & Invisible-to-all for favoriting or adding my story to their story alerts. (PS: my keyboard is totally dying on me. My "N" & "S" keys aren't wanting to work, so if you see a typo, just let me know.)

Oh, also, I will be taking Annabelle all throughout her Hogwarts experience. If there's anything you'd like to see or hear about, let me know and I might just indulge you. I'm open to suggestions and I love feedback. Also, I'm willing to accept ideas for other fics, so just let me know what you think. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own J.K. Rowling's work. (I totally did make up this kind of Kneazle though...)

Annabelle glanced around the large pub. The Leaky Cauldron was extremely noisy, but it didn't seem nearly as bad as the bookstore they had passed on the way here. Magic folk seemed crazy about their books. The line cut off just at the entrance of the little shop and Annabelle could hear a great ruckus from inside. She had no time to ponder this as Minerva had quickly led her into the pub.

Now, Professor McGonagall was scanning the room for her husband while Annabelle was captivated by a group of people standing outside the window. There was a family of seven with flaming red hair and Annabelle found herself staring. With them, were two other children: a bushy haired brunette and a boy with black hair and, when he turned her way, startling green eyes. The family seemed so happy and easy going. Annabelle couldn't help but be jealous. She lightly nudged Professor McGonagall. "Who are they?"

McGonagall peered out the window and caught sight of what had entranced her young charge. The Weasley family, Miss Granger, and Mr. Potter were gathered outside on their yearly trip to Diagon Alley for their own school supplies. "Well, the gingers are a family named the Weasleys. Every Weasley child has always been a Gryffindor. Young Miss Weasley, there, will be in your year."

McGonagall smiled and directed the girl's gaze to the other two children. "Mr. Potter and Miss Granger are a year ahead of you. They're also in Gryffindor."

"Minerva, who is it you've brought with you for lunch?" They both spun around upon hearing the voice.

Minerva knew it was Albus and grinned as the white haired man gave her a quick kiss before turning his attention back to her young charge. "This is Miss Annabelle Wyte. She's a muggle born witch and will be coming to Hogwarts this year."

Meanwhile, Annabelle was shell shocked by this man's appearance. He stood even taller than Professor McGonagall and he wore blue, starry robes. His white beard flowed down past his waist and his hair was even longer. Annabelle imagined he had dimpled behind all of his facial hair, but she couldn't really prove that thought. Finally, she realized that she'd been mentioned and that both adults had their eyes fixated on her. She took a tiny step back, only to have a solid surface press against her back. She was trapped. Her eyes began to water a little as she forced herself to focus on her shoes.

_Don't look him in the eye._

_Be quiet._

_Don't cry._

_Don't look at him._

The thoughts were overwhelming and the young witch hadn't noticed Professor McGonagall direct her husband to sit at a little table in the dining room and wait for them. Annabelle only noticed a change when her professor kneeled in front of her and placed a gentle hand on both of her shoulders.

Minerva wasn't sure what exactly was wrong with the child, but she noticed that it'd gotten worse when Albus arrived. "Lassie, what's troubling you, dear?" She reached up to wipe one of the girl's tears away when a small hand caught her wrist.

Belle's small voice met Minerva's ears in a quiet plea as their eyes met. "Please, don't." Then, Annabelle dropped her professor's hand and wiped her tears away. "I'm sorry, Professor. We can go sit down now. I'll be good."

Minerva's heart broke for the girl, but she just nodded and led her young charge to their table. The professor sat down next to Albus and let Belle have the seat across from either of them. When she settled into the seat across from Minerva, the professor smiled, but soon an overwhelming silence settled over the trio.

Minerva wanted to get to the bottom of this, but she also knew that the young girl would not be willing to talk with Albus around. She also gathered that the girl wasn't ready to talk to her, given that they'd just met this morning.

Albus was puzzled about the whole situation. Why was this girl staying with them? How was this child managing to make his wife smile? Albus shrugged off his questions and just smiled at both witches. "Alright, Minerva, I know what you want, but how about you, Miss Wyte?"

The young witch's eyes snapped up when she was spoken to. She didn't really know what there was so she just shrugged. "Whatever she's getting."

Neither professor wanted to push their young charge, so Albus got up and went to tell Tom that all three of them would like a cottage pie and pumpkin juice. The food floated along behind Albus as he made his way back to their little table. The three ate in silence and Albus was the first to finish. At the completion of his meal, he stood up and grinned. "I'll be seeing you lovely ladies tonight, but I have business up at Hogwarts to attend before then. Have a good day." He turned to walk away, but spun back to the witches after a moment's thought. "Annabelle, make sure she gets you some sweets. Don't believe her when she tells you that they're not good for you. As headmaster, I say they're perfect for all students." At this declaration, he spun on the spot and disapparated.

Annabelle couldn't help, but giggle. "Professor, what did he mean by being headmaster? Is he really Hogwarts' headmaster?" She couldn't see a headmaster of such renown acting like a buffoon, even around his own wife.

Now, Minerva was the one chuckling. "Yes, lass. Professor Dumbledore is the headmaster at Hogwarts as well as my husband." The professor ate the last bit of her food before she took notice of Miss Wyte's empty plate. "Are you ready to move on, Miss Wyte?"

Annabelle nodded and slowly stepped away from the table. "Where are we going next? I still need my books, dragon hide gloves, wand, and," She pointed at the list. "all of these." There, it discussed the remainders of items she would need, including a pewter cauldron, a glass or crystal phial, a telescope, and brass scales. She paused before looking up at her professor and giving a nonchalant shrug. "It also says students may bring a toad, an owl, or a cat if they wish. That's not required though." Belle let her statement trail off as they headed toward the front door.

"We'll stop by Ollivander's last. That's where you'll acquire your wand. How about we stop by Flourish & Blotts now, so that we can purchase your books and all your potions and astronomy supplies between there and Ollivander's?" Minerva made sure her charge was following her and began making her way down Diagon Alley again.

Seeing that they were walking straight into a book store, Annabelle charged ahead, pushing open the door and looking around in awe. There were so many books and they were flying around the room, placing themselves on their appropriate shelves. She dashed over to a shelf labeled 'first year' and began to pick up all the books on her list. Her arms were full and she reached out to grab another set of books. They weren't on her list, but they looked to be something she would need anyway. One book was titled, _Hogwarts, a History_ and the other one was labeled, _101 Spells Every Witch and Wizard should know_. The latter wasn't on the same shelf as the rest and it claimed to be a special edition. It looked interesting and Annabelle wanted to know what it was about. Placing them both on her hazardous stack, she quickly stumbled away from the shelf, only to bump into her chuckling professor.

"Alright, lass. Let's see what you've found here." Her finger ran along the spine of each book and she inwardly groaned at the amount of books the child would have to read about Gilderoy Lockhart. The man was a menace and a fraud. Albus and she had a nasty row the night he was hired. As the professor came across the last two books, she just smiled. Minerva McGonagall would never be one to keep a child from learning more. Satisfied, she grabbed another book off of a nearby shelf and started to put it on the stack when she realized that the stack was already teetering from side to side. She shrunk the books, so that they were each the size of a deck of cards, and levitated them over to the counter. Minerva paid for the stack, had them wrapped, and then immediately shrunk the whole package.

Pocketing the miniature package, she guided her student back outside. "Now, I'm going to step inside and purchase some equipment for you. I'd recommend waiting outside because it appears to be exceptionally crowded inside." At her student's nod, she made her way inside and began the mad search for first year supplies.

Outside, Annabelle was nervously running the toe of her boot along the ground when a sudden noise caught her attention. She looked up to see the sign for a menagerie and she grinned. Certainly, she wouldn't be missed if she went inside for just a minute.

She slipped inside and looked around. Animals of all shapes and sizes lined the walls and cages sat floating above her. The owls hooted eerily, and the young girl backed away from their haunting noises. On the opposite wall, however, were more pleasant creatures. There were a couple different cats, pigmy puffs, and rats over here. One cat, in particular, caught her eye. Its eyes were startlingly similar to the orbs adoring her face: both in color and shape. The cat's underbelly matched her own blonde hair, smooth and straight without any other color marring it. The rest of its body was covered in shaggy brown hair with black markings throughout it. The only other spot of blonde fur was found on the underside of her immense tail.

Annabelle found herself enchanted by the cat, almost as if she were hypnotized. She knelt down beside the cat's cage and stuck out her hand, letting the cat sniff her. She didn't hear the shop owner warn her against her sudden movements, but, to the owner's surprise, the cat was soon nuzzling her hand. The cat emitted a soft rumbling as it continued to rub its head against her.

Finally, she found her voice as a smile split her lips. "Hello, precious." The cat stopped its ministrations for a moment and looked up at the little witch. It cocked its head to the side in what appeared to be a question, but Annabelle didn't have an answer. She sighed and ran her hand down the cat's cheek one time before getting up, apologizing as she did so. Before she reached the door, though, the owner stopped her.

"Miss, that cat's no ordinary cat, and obviously you're no ordinary witch. Her breed is said to hold magical properties and can pick out future animagi. There are other properties I can tell you about if you'd like, but she's already chosen you." At the student's puzzled expression, he continued. "She won't even let me feed her without clawing at me. She's openly hostile to everyone and generally paces that cage all day." He pointed to the cage and grinned. "Now she's simply sitting there, hoping that you'll come back and get her. If you walk out now, I can guarantee that she'll still be sitting there for at least the next hour. They don't get attached easily."

Annabelle shook her head, mumbling an apology to the shop keep as well. "I'm sorry, sir. I can't afford a pet at this point in time, no matter how special they might be." She smiled sadly at this and felt her heart breaking as she looked back at the emerald eyed cat.

The man leaned against the counter and glanced between the cat and the student. "How about I cut you a deal?" When she didn't shoot down his request, he continued. "Who are you here with, darling?"

The young witch bit her lip. "Well, you see, I'm here with Professor McGonagall. My parents aren't magic like you or her." Annabelle still couldn't even believe that she was here. She truly doubted the cat was as special as this man was trying to put off. He probably just wanted the profit from selling her. He'd sell her to anyone willing to pay, but that wasn't Annabelle. Surely, he didn't expect her to fall for this, right?

Alright, so the young girl was a muggle born student. She was here without her parents and solely with the stern Hogwarts' deputy headmistress. He forgot all about making a profit and threw up his hands. "Go pick up her cage and bring it over here." He cut her off as she began to argue and shooed her in the direction of the cage. The girl seemed practically captivated by the cat and walked directly to it, not looking around her at all. He grabbed his wand and levitated a set of cat supplies to him. He shrunk them down and waited for the child to arrive with the cage.

Annabelle picked up the cage and grinned as the cat gave out a loud mew. She sat perfectly still in the middle of the cage and continued to mew happily. The girl turned around and gave the owner another questioning look as she set the cage down in front of him. "Sir, I can't pay for this. I can't afford her."

The owner simply nodded and handed her the bundle of cat supplies. "I know, dear. Take the cat and be good to her. She deserves respect, but she'll be loyal to you." He glanced out the shop window and spotted a frantic looking McGonagall. "Now, go child. Your professor is waiting."

Annabelle's eyes had grown wide with shock and she simply nodded, accepting the bundle and walking towards the door. Reaching the door, she turned around again and couldn't help but grin again. "Thank you so much, sir. I promise, I'll be good to her. Thank you! Thank you!" With her last 'thank you's she ran outside and was embraced by an anxious McGonagall.

"I was so worried about you. Where'd you go?" Annabelle found her warm mentor quickly turning into a stern professor before her eyes. Then, taking note of the mewling cat, Minerva couldn't help but smile. "I see…Just do me a favor next time and let me know before you wander." She couldn't help but be proud of her young charge. This was a very special cat and not many witches or wizards were ever chosen by such a creature. This girl had a lot to offer.


	6. Proving Potential

Thank you Lollypops101 for being the first to review Tabby Cats and Wizards. Again, thanks to my wonderful best friend and beta who points out all my horrifying mistakes.

Disclaimer: Oh? Did you already guess it...Darn. Well, I guess I don't have to say I'm not J.K. Rowling 'cause you already figured it out, right?

The pair made their way down the street and Minerva pulled Belle to the side once they reached Ollivander's Wand Shop. "Now, this is a very personal process. The wand that chooses you will continue to be the tool you use to perform all sorts of magic for years to come." The elder witch knelt down by her charge and pulled out her own wand, aged with use, but still stunning in appearance. It's wood was stained black everywhere except the handle. The handle consisted of a dark brown wood with a spherical design throughout its length that eventually ended with a rather large sphere. However, the sphere had a few small sphere's coming off the end followed by a pointed jewel ."I purchased this wand when I was your age. Ollivander is the same man who made my wand, as he is the best in his profession. I will stay out here if you'd like, or I can come inside with you."

The young witch pondered her options for a few moments as she stared at the beautiful wand before her. Annabelle was unaware of how you acquired your wand, but she figured that if anyone could help her, surely this regal witch could. Belle nodded her head, smiling. "Can you come in with me, please? I think I'd like the company."

Minerva let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding and gave an affirmative nod. "Of course, I'll join you." The professor pushed the door open and grinned at the frazzled looking man.

Mr. Ollivander smiled at the witches and pointed to the professor. "Ahhh, Minerva McGonagall: nine and a half inch fir with a dragon heartstring. Your wand was rather stiff, but incredible for transfiguration. Who have you brought with you today?" Instead of looking at Annabelle, his eyes were fixed on the chocolate-colored cat.

Minerva caught his gaze and smiled. "This is young, Miss Wyte's new cat. They seemed to find each other at the menagerie." She gestured to the girl beside her to step forward. "Miss Wyte is in need of her first wand."

The old man's grin doubled and he tapped his nose a few times. "A wand for someone who's already charmed a Percipio Kneazle." The wizard turned around and grabbed a wand, holding it out to her and glancing at her mentor. "Try this one, Miss Wyte."

Annabelle followed his gaze and looked at Minerva questioningly. She had no clue how to try out a wand.

Luckily, Minerva understood and walked up to her student. "Just take it out of the box and give it a little flick." The professor took note that the wand was made of white ash and had a dragon heartstring core. It was the same length as Minerva's as well and looked to have similar flexibility. Her thoughts were interrupted as the ceiling began to emit dust and rocks began to fall to the ground. Minerva quickly pulled out her own wand, and gave it a quick wave, muttering an incantation under her breath. The ceiling immediately repaired itself.

"Thank you, Minerva." Ollivander then gently took the wand from her hands. "No, I don't think that one will do at all." He hummed for a moment before walking out of sight. He pulled three boxes of varying sizes down and set them on the table. He grabbed the one with a yellow label and carefully removed it from the box. "Give this one a swish, child. It's made of fir and has a unicorn hair core. It's eight inches long and is very swishy."

Annabelle shrugged, not understanding most of what the man was saying. She gave it a wide swish and watched as the boxes in front of her blew up and she spun around as she heard the windows shatter. She covered her mouth in awe and started to apologize when she saw everything put itself back together.

As she turned back around to Mr. Ollivander, she saw him slipping a wand back up his sleeve. "You, Miss Wyte, are not an easy one to fit, and I'm not getting any closer, am I?" With that, he turned around and grabbed another box off the shelf. He handed it to her, barely whispering, "Here's a twelve inch oak with a phoenix feather core. It's rigid."

Again, Annabelle flicked the wand, this time in the direction of the desk. Papers went flying everywhere, but eventually settled back down in disarray.

"Not quite, but I think I know what will work." The elder man collected all the wands he'd set on the counter and put them back. He then grabbed a wand directly to the left of the front counter and smiled. "I dare say, give this a flick."

Again, the young witch obliged and her jaw dropped as the room lit up in shimmering gold lights. Balls of light swirled around her head and then made their way over to her kneazle, doing the same to the cat. "Bloody hell…" Her words were barely audible and she kept spinning the wand in her hand over and over. Its handle was the shape of a dragon wing and her fingers fit around it perfectly. Another distinguishing feature was its off white coloration and the wing joints that spiraled up the entirety of the wand. Finally finding her composure, she looked back up to the wand maker. "Sir, what is this wand?"

Mr. Ollivander smiled and looked to Minerva again. "This child possesses great talent. I trust you to train her well." Turning back to Annabelle, he began his explanation with a twinkle in his eyes. "First, a wand always chooses its wielder. This wand was no different. It is eleven and a quarter inches long and it's made of wood from a willow tree and has the core of a phoenix feather. It's sturdy."

Annabelle still didn't understand any of what this meant and her face made that painstakingly clear.

"Willow wands are extremely picky, especially those made from this particular tree. You will find this tree on the grounds of Hogwarts. It's called the Whomping Willow. Now, willows are known for being trees of enchantments, which means this wand is particularly good with charms, healing, and non-verbal magic. However, willow wands generally choose a wielder who possesses an unwarranted insecurity. I'll tell you this now, young lady. The wand is always right. Whatever your insecurity may be, I hope you overcome it so you can reach your full potential. This wand proves you do have a great potential.

"Now, perhaps the core is even more peculiar. It is most common among Gryffindors, but will occasionally choose an owner from a separate house, such as when it chose He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. The phoenix feather specializes in defense against the dark arts, as well as hexes and jinxes. This core is known for its versatility and power, but it's also known for taking initiatives that many witches and wizards don't appreciate. It will sometimes act on its own accord, and this might mean doing something that you don't fully intend for it to do. The thing is, it's also a loyal wand core. Once you win the allegiance of a phoenix feather core, it won't work correctly for anyone else. It will be hard for you to tame and personalize, but it will be well worth the effort, Miss Wyte. This I guarantee."

McGonagall laid a light hand on her charge's shoulder before looking back to Mr. Ollivander. "I guarantee she will get all the training she requires and so much more. Now, how much will this be?" Minerva was ready to go home and curl up with a good book. It had been a long day for both of them and maybe Annabelle would even join her.

The old wand maker glanced at the wand again. "Six galleons and then I'll let you two carry on about your business." As Minerva handed over the money, Ollivander looked to the young witch who was now twirling the wand in her hands. "Take care of that wand, Miss Wyte. It will serve you well." With that, he disappeared back into the stacks of wands, letting them find their own way out.

Minerva made her way over to the door and opened it, looking back to her frozen charge and calling out, "Aren't you coming, Miss Wyte?"

Annabelle nodded her head and darted for the door. "Sorry, ma'am. I didn't mean to hold us up any longer. I was just…distracted." The young witch found herself immediately falling back into her fears and formalities around the professor. How did she know the woman wasn't going to turn on her?

"It's not a problem, lass. I suggest we apparate home and rest for the afternoon. You can go out to the lake if you wish, or you can join me in the study. I will be reading for the next couple hours until Albus gets home." As she offered her arm out to the young girl, she smiled again. "I would enjoy the company if you don't mind staying with an old witch like me."

Annabelle shrugged and grasped the elder witch's hand, squeezing her eyes shut as she steeled herself from the coming movement.

_Here we go again!_


	7. Fears And Fantasies of Life

Disclaimer: Have I mentioned yet that I'm not J.K. Rowling and I don't own Harry Potter. Oh, and an extra disclaimer here too. I don't own any of the movie characters I mentioned.

Minerva then turned on the spot and the pair soon appeared in the sitting room of McGonagall Manor. Annabelle stood and cradled her stomach for a moment as she leaned against Minerva. Her professor had kept her from stumbling to the ground upon impact and was still supporting her now. After a few painstaking seconds, Annabelle stumbled away from Minerva, only to realize that Minerva had her books and supplies still. "Professor, may I take my supplies up to m…the room?" Again, Annabelle had almost claimed the room, but caught herself just in time.

"Well, unless there's something I don't know about, then I don't believe you know how to enlarge your packages again." She then glanced at the cat cage, still holding her charge's kneazle. "Plus, you have a cat cage to carry up to your room, though I'd recommend releasing your kneazle first. She's free to roam the house the same as you." Minerva watched as the young witch knelt down and unlocked the cage. The cat immediately stalked out of the crate and began to sniff the air precariously. Now that Minerva saw the two side by side, she recognized the striking similarities between their eyes. There was no doubt in her mind that this was the perfect pair. McGonagall just hoped they wouldn't be troublesome together.

Annabelle picked up the metal cage and began to ascend the great staircase. At the top, she opened her door and set the crate down right inside. She then pulled the cat supplies out of her pocket and set the bundle down on her bed. Seeing Minerva walk in, she bit her lip nervously: feeling trapped, yet anxious at the same time. "Professor, would you mind enlarging my cat supplies as well?" Annabelle's kneazle had followed the pair into the room and was now finding a comfortable spot to sleep on the bed. The young witch smiled and reached out to pet her newfound friend when she realized she hadn't named the kneazle yet. "Oh, dear. What shall I call you?" She stroked the cat's head and smiled as it began to purr again. "Could I call you Ariel, or maybe Thumbelina?" She began suggesting the names of movie characters sighed as the kneazle refused to respond to anything.

Out of nowhere, Minerva piped up. The whole time her charge had been speaking, one name kept coming to mind. "What about Sylvanna? You can call her Sylvi or Sylvia for short." As Minerva could have only guessed, the kneazle's ears perked at the mention of the name and her purring grew exponentially.

Annabelle picked up on her sudden reaction and stroked her head again. "Is that your name, Sylvanna?" When the cat continued to purr, the witch conceded. Sylvanna she would be.

Seeing that all her belongings were enlarged and put away, Annabelle made her way downstairs, followed closely by Minerva and Sylvanna.

All three settled onto a couch in the study and the witches began to read while Sylvanna nestled in Annabelle's lap. When Albus returned from his day at Hogwarts, his only surprise was the kneazle. He had expected to find the witches reading in the study, without a cat. The only cat he ever expected to see was his wife in her animagus form. Now, he had two of them to deal with. That night, he pretended to be annoyed, but also began to pamper the kitten at every given opportunity.

The rest of the week followed in a similar manor, with the witches spending the day together, either reading or playing muggle chess. Albus would leave in the morning after breakfast, but would always arrive home in time for dinner. Every night, the quartet settled into the study and spent a few hours reading before heading their separate ways to bed.

Annabelle kept a safe distance between herself and the adults. Though she was learning to trust them, she didn't want to get in over her head. She still startled at slight touches, but found herself growing accustom to them as the days wore on.

Minerva found herself quickly opening up to this young girl and surprising even herself with how often she reached out to the child. All too often, she found her hand on the girl's shoulder or caressing her hair as she walked by. It seemed perfectly normal until the younger witch would flinch away.

August 31st arrived quicker than any of them expected and they found themselves reading in the study, each entranced in their own book. As the clock struck ten, Albus decided it was time to turn in, but was simply met with a groan from Minerva, telling him that she wasn't done reading yet. She had two chapters in her book left, and she was not moving from her spot until she was done.

Annabelle nodded her agreement and continued reading as the wizard left them alone. However, the younger witch couldn't concentrate on her book any longer. She found herself getting nervous about going to Hogwarts.

What if she became a Slytherin? Belle had quickly learned that Slytherin was one of two houses that she'd be ashamed of being in. Professor McGonagall especially didn't like Slytherin though, and this fueled her fear even further. Even though the witch didn't want to be a Hufflepuff, she could handle it in the end. She thought she'd probably become a Ravenclaw because she'd always had a knack for learning things quicker than others. Her teachers always told her how bright she was and she hoped that Hogwarts wouldn't be any different. Gryffindor was Professor McGonagall's house, but that required bravery according to _Hogwarts, a History_. By no means did Annabelle believe herself to be brave.

What would it be like to live at Hogwarts? She looked forward to the opportunity to be away from her parents for such a stretch of time, but she feared that she might just miss them. As horrible as they were to her, they were all she'd ever known. Annabelle knew that what they did to her was wrong, but she couldn't help but love them anyway. After all, they had raised her. They provided for her for eleven years. That had to say something in and of itself, right?

However, a little voice in the back of her head told her that as wrong. They only ever provided enough to keep her alive, not to keep her healthy. They didn't care if she suffered along the way. Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore had already proven to be better providers in a week's time. That said something.

Annabelle found herself staring at a certain green eyed cat and raised an eyebrow. It seemed to be telling her something, but she couldn't quite tell what it wanted. It kept looking between Minerva and Annabelle in a fashion, akin to being annoyed.

Finally, Annabelle forced herself to glance at her professor and found she wasn't the only one distracted from her book. Her professor seemed to be staring off into space and the younger witch could only imagine why. Carefully, Annabelle decided to move closer and laid her hand on the witch's forearm, initiating contact, and apparently breaking the spell on Minerva.

"Yes, Miss Wyte? Is something the matter?" Minerva still seemed quite distracted, but at least her eyes were back to normal instead of being large, glassy orbs.

"No, Professor. I was just…" She trailed off, unsure of whether it would be appropriate to inquire any further.

"You were what, lass?" Minerva was patient with the child, but she was beginning to slowly grow frustrated with her habit of starting a sentence without finishing it.

"You seemed distracted and I was wondering why." Minerva's face seemed to contort in shock and Annabelle felt herself becoming smaller. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be nosy. Really, I'm sorry." She started to scoot away from the elder witch again when Minerva pulled her closer, effectively stopping her from getting away.

Now, Annabelle was unsure whether to be comforted by the movement, or scared out of her mind. The older witch was much stronger than she was and this certainly scared her, but, at the same time, her firm grip was comforting. She felt herself slowly ease into the embrace and leaned against Minerva.

Minerva tried to decide what to tell her young charge. She certainly couldn't tell her that she was wishing they were a proper family. She could tell her a partial truth though. She had been thinking about Hogwarts and what would occur once they were back on school grounds. Things would, after all, be very different. She felt the young witch begin to relax and decided now was as good a time as any to begin explaining. "I was imagining how life would be once term started. Course work will have me busy almost every night. I won't be able to relax like this every night. I'll be surrounded by children and staff members, some of whom care about me while others don't." The professor began to shrug when she realized that her charge's head was leaned against her shoulder. Surely, that would be uncomfortable for the young girl. "Being a strict teacher often means that I am resented by many students and even some teachers. It's simply how it is. Now, what distracted you from your book before you noticed me? Certainly, you didn't look up from your book just to check on me."

Annabelle bit her lip and was suddenly glad the professor couldn't see her face. She hadn't realized how emotional she was about the whole situation until she felt her eyes misting over. "I was thinking about Hogwarts too, actually." The young witch took a deep shuddering breath, willing herself not to cry, before continuing. "I was thinking about how I will miss my parents…even though I shouldn't." The last part was barely a mumble and Annabelle immediately clapped her hands over her mouth after saying it. She hadn't meant to say it!

The young girl began to get off the couch when Minerva wrapped her arms around her charge again. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean, lassie." Minerva was not only intrigued, but also concerned for the girl. She refused to discuss her parents, and when she did, it seemed to just be generalizations. She never talked about doing things with them or spending time with them. She simply called them her parents and only mentioned them when it deemed absolutely necessary.

Annabelle backpedaled, trying to find a way out of her current predicament. She sniffed, and tried to wiggle out of her captor's hold to no avail. "I just meant that I'm too old to miss them. That's all. Now, may I please go to bed?"

Minerva couldn't help but be hurt by the girl's cold, angry response. She felt herself hardening and released her student. She stood up before the girl had a chance to react and hesitated at the doorway, not turning back. "Breakfast is at 8:30. We leave here by ten." After saying her piece, she stalked up to her bedroom. Hearing that Annabelle was not far behind her, she hoped to keep her tears at bay until she was safely inside her room, but they began to overflow as she reached the top of the stairs. Little did she know that her young charge had the same problem at that moment. However, both witches shut themselves in their respective rooms and curled into their bed before truly letting themselves cry.

Minerva had transfigured her clothes into a loose pair of pajamas as she walked over to her dozing husband. Curling up beside him, she let herself cry, upset with herself for getting angry, but also frustrated that Annabelle continued to shut her out. Having woken up from the change of weight distribution on the bed, Albus worked on soothing his wife, making hushing sounds and rubbing her back. After a few minutes of silence, Albus found that his wife had fallen asleep. He could only hope that Annabelle met the same fate.

Instead of falling asleep, Annabelle found herself fretting over her poor reaction. McGonagall was only trying to help. Snuggled in bed with Sylvanna, the younger witch found herself crying and wide awake into wretched hours of the night.


	8. Already Gone

So, I wrote Chapter 8 and had it mostly ready to go when I decided I didn't like the direction I took at all. So, Chapter 8 is now completely different from my original plan, but I prefer it this way. Let me know what you think

Special thanks: jdcani, LillyPheonix, Juliefan1, & nofearonlylove for reviewing. Thanks guys! I really love to hear feedback and know what you think. Also, thanks to DevilzVampire, Junora, & Happy-the-Nekomander for adding me to their favorites or story alerts. Hope you all continue to enjoy Tabby Cats and Wizards. :)

Disclaimer: Hey, I'm not J.K. Rowling, so I don't own Harry Potter. :)

Minerva woke up to find Albus' side of the bed was still warm, but he was nowhere to be seen. Though she wished it weren't the case, she knew he wouldn't be anywhere in the manor. This bothered Minerva as she hated waking up alone. Crawling out of bed, the elder witch remembered the events from the previous night. How would Annabelle ever trust her now?

In a time of sensitivity and pain, Minerva had shunned her in favor of her own emotions and feelings. It shouldn't have mattered that Minerva was hurting. A professor had a duty to protect her students and Minerva had failed to perform this task.

McGonagall would make it up to Annabelle today. They'd go to Kings Cross together and she'd see her kitten off, as if they really were a family. Coming to this revelation, Minerva hopped up from her bed and tossed on her dressing robe.

Minerva stopped upon reaching the stairs, her ears straining to clarify what she was hearing. It was a sound that most witches and wizards wouldn't have picked up, but she was different. Her animagus traits often carried over into her human form, which enhanced her senses past that of any human. Knowing that the sound could only be coming from one room, she slowly crossed the hall to the door and gently knocked before pushing it open. Not wanting to scare the girl, she transformed into her animagus and stalked over to the bed. The child hadn't seen her animagus form yet, so this would be a new experience.

Gaining an approving glance from Sylvanna, Minerva silently hopped onto the bed and nuzzled against Annabelle's cheek. Being a cat removed the normal physical barriers of polite interactions, yet the comfort was the same.

The girl's broken voice arose, muffled from her mouth being covered by the pillow. "Go away, Sylvia." Still, Minerva persisted. She wiggled her way under the pillow and began to purr as she continued to nudge the girl.

Finally, Annabelle's bloodshot eyes opened and she looked at Minerva in shock. The little tabby cat had her mentor's eyes and had markings across her nose and around her eyes where her square spectacles normally sat.

_It's not possible, right?_

Annabelle felt crazy as she looked at the cat, convinced it had to be Minerva. It looked so much like her and those eyes looked too human. Deciding the cat wouldn't judge her, she convinced herself to be brave.

_It's just a cat! You can talk to her. _

"You heard me crying, didn't you?" The cat stopped moving and just mewed in confirmation. Annabelle sighed and pet the tabby's head, paying special attention to her ears. "I'm just worried is all. I…" Annabelle hadn't paid attention to the cat moving until it landed on the floor and morphed into her professor.

"I'm sorry, Miss Wyte. I didn't want you to tell my animagus form something you wouldn't tell me. I don't want to deceive you, lass." Minerva perched on the edge of the bed and gently wiped away one of her charge's tears with her thumb. "I'm still willing to listen, but I want you to know who I really am."

Annabelle still found herself shocked silent, mouth gaping open again. She watched as her instructor let out a warm chuckle and she felt herself relaxing again. Belle wanted to tell Minerva. She really did, but how would her professor react? Sighing, she decided she'd tell her at least something. "I _want_ to tell you. Really, I do. I just don't know how much I can." She slowly turned away from Minerva, so that she was facing her pillow, and sighed. Her eyes were squeezed shut and a stream of tears leaked from her shielded emerald orbs.

Minerva couldn't help herself any longer. She scoot closer to her student and wrapped her into a gentle, yet firm hug. Pulling the girl into her lap, she let the child cry. She was determined to fix this. "Lass, I want you to know that I'm here for you." Seeing the girl's hesitation, the elder witch ran a light hand through her charge's hair. "You can trust me, love."

Minerva hadn't recognized the endearment until minutes later as the girl continued to sit in silence. All professional boundaries had been crossed days ago and now Minerva knew there was no going back as Annabelle began to speak.

"I'm scared, Professor." The words were soft, and her voice shook, but they were powerful enough to shatter Minerva's stone-cold heart.

"I know, lass. It's okay to be scared." The raven haired witch continued to stroke her charge's soft, blonde hair and gently rocked back and forth.

Annabelle sniffled and choked out. "Not if you're a Gryffindor." She let out another heart-wrenching sob and opened her mouth to speak again. "I'm not smart enough for Ravenclaw either. No house will want me." Though she was blaming her insecurities on the house stereotypes, Annabelle was actually terrified about people never wanting her. The younger witch was scared that when Minerva found out everything that was going on, that her professor wouldn't care about her any longer.

"Oh, honey… Gryffindors are certainly allowed to be scared sometimes, but if we're not, then I'm doing a pretty poor job at representing my house. You see, I've been terrified before, and I'm head of Gryffindor." She chuckled and let her arms rest around Belle's frail frame. "Gryffindors aren't valued for never being scared. They're valued for looking past that fear and doing what's right anyway. They're also respected for being highly chivalrous and having an admirable heart, but in regards to Ravenclaw, Professor Flitwick would jump on the opportunity to have you in his house. Trust me when I tell you that multiple houses will be fighting for your allegiance." Placing a light kiss on the blonde's head, Minerva set her charge back on the bed and made her way to the door. "I just hope my house wins." With that, Minerva shut the door behind her and went downstairs to make them breakfast.

As Minerva left, Annabelle quickly threw on a pair of black slacks and a teal, long-sleeve, button-up shirt. She then laced up her black boots and grabbed her wand, securing it up her sleeve before racing downstairs to join her mentor. She found Professor McGonagall busy at work, controlling multiple different cooking incantations simultaneously. Within minutes their food was plated and the pair sat down to eat.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Annabelle realized that Professor Dumbledore didn't appear to be around. Normally, he joined the witches for breakfast, so this was out of the ordinary.

Minerva sighed and stopped eating to knead her temples. That man was going to be the death of her. Looking back to Annabelle, she shrugged nonchalantly. "He had business at Hogwarts to attend to, so he left early this morning." Minerva took another couple bites and realized they were both nearing the ends of their meals. "In fact, once you're done packing, you'll probably still have time to sit and read for a little bit before we go. We can wait even longer to leave since Albus won't be joining us." Normally, he would postpone their timing by stopping to talk with every person who looked his way. Given his peculiar wardrobe, that was generally half of London. As both women cleared their plates, they headed up to their respective rooms to finish packing. Minerva was done in minutes, as she used magical assistance.

Annabelle was tempted to ask Minerva for help, but eventually settled on just asking Lindy. When the little elf appeared, she bowed to the young witch and gave a crooked grin. "What may Lindy help little miss with?" Lindy looked around and noticed the half full trunk. "May I?" She asked purely out of respect and barely waited for a nod before she snapped her fingers and the trunk finished packing itself. Her school robes were easily accessible on top, so that she could change once they got close to Hogwarts. Lindy had shrunken everything to fit and promised to undo the charm once her trunk made it to the dormitories. Annabelle was ready to deem the task done when Lindy stopped her. There was still one more charm that it needed. She placed a feather weight charm on the trunk, so that it was extremely lightweight. She did the same thing for Sylvanna's crate before disapparating with a 'pop.'

The younger witch looked around the room. She had intended it leave it exactly like it had been when she arrived, but it simply seemed different now. Everything was packed away except for a single book. Sitting down on the bed, she reached for the book and picked it up, turning it over in her hands to read the back. Professor McGonagall had told her to leave this book for last, and she certainly had. She'd read all of her books, but this one and now she was a little worried. Quidditch seemed to be a big deal at Hogwarts, and especially to her professor, and she didn't want to let them down.

Opening _Quidditch Through the Ages_, Annabelle found herself immediately absorbed into the text. She couldn't wait to fly on a broom. She hoped to try out for the team, but _Hogwarts, a History_ had mentioned that first years rarely try out, and when they do, they rarely make the team. That included pure-blooded wizards who'd been riding brooms their whole life! There was no way Annabelle was going to try out when she'd never even gotten on a broom before. However, Quidditch intrigued her and she couldn't wait to eventually try it out.

An hour passed and before she knew it, Minerva was coming to knock on her door. The elder witch poked her head in the door and smiled. "It's about time to be going, lass. Do you have everything you need to go?"

Annabelle nodded and placed her book in the trunk beside her. "Are you taking me to Platform 9 & ¾?" She didn't have any idea how to get onto the Platform, even though she'd read about it. She just didn't understand, and plus, she'd like her professor to take her.

Minerva's smile faltered for a moment as she walked into the room. "I'll be taking you, but I don't believe it's a good idea if I look like myself. It would raise a great deal of questions, as well as that of favoritism. I don't want the other students to think that I favor you before we even get to Hogwarts." She paused and shrugged slightly. "If it's alright with you, I will transfigure my appearance to look like an adult you resemble."

Annabelle returned her smile, slightly excited to see this piece of magic. "Oh, please show me!"

Minerva chuckled at her student's enthusiasm and removed her wand from her sleeve, muttering and incantation over herself. Before the younger witch's eyes, Minerva's face became a little fuller, her cheekbones becoming less pronounced. Her skin darkened a touch and her usually raven hair, turned into a brilliant yellow blonde falling past her shoulders. The only thing that stayed the same were those brilliant green eyes.

"Wow…" Annabelle couldn't help, but be amazed.

As they both stood up, Belle realized that her mentor was now closer to her mother's petite height of 5'2". Knowing what was coming, the student reached over to grasp her mentor's arm. The professor grabbed Belle's trunk while Annabelle held Sylvanna close to her own body. With this, Minerva cast _Silencio_ over their figures before apparating away without sound.

The two witches arrived in a small, grungy restroom at Kings Cross. Minerva removed the spell and quickly checked to make sure they were alone in the bathroom. At the 'all clear,' Annabelle followed her mentor out of the cramped stall and the two made their way toward Platform 9 & ¾. Reaching the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10, Minerva stopped and glanced at her young charge, who was still clinging to her arm.

"Now, you have to run straight at that wall." Noticing Annabelle's horrified expression, Minerva gave her a small smile and continued. "It won't hurt. I promise it won't. You and I will go through together."

Annabelle gave a slow nod and looked over at the metal barrier again. At her mentor's urging, the two broke into a slight run and the next thing Annabelle knew, she was standing on Platform 9 & ¾. A brilliant train, labeled "Hogwarts Express", stood before her in stunning red and black. The platform was packed with witches and wizards of all shapes and sizes. The pair made their way over to the compartment for animals and handed the conductor Sylvanna's cage. Sylvanna was not pleased with this and began mewling as loud as she could, making clear her displeasure to anyone who could hear her.

After handing her over, they walked around the platform a little before Minerva realized that the train was getting ready to leave. Without thinking, the professor wrapped her charge into a tight hug before sending her off to the train. "Be good!" Minerva yelled as Belle ran toward the train, climbing up the stairs into the train right before the doors shut.

The train blew its whistle a few times before it began to accelerate and disappear out of sight. Minerva waved her hands and found herself missing Annabelle already. She sighed and began to walk toward the exit.

_She's already gone._


	9. Thestral Wings

I said it'd be up by tonight, so here it is!

Thanks to gusf123 and Mi Fanfic Worlds for adding me this to favorites or story alerts. Also, thanks to Lollipops101 for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own J.K. Rowling's work. Thanks...Goodnight!

(Oh. PS: I wrote the Sorting Hat's song too, so let me know what you think.)

Annabelle walked down the corridor of the packed locomotive and let out a soft breath. Who would want to sit with her? She didn't know anyone. Glancing in each compartment as she walked by, she saw a few friendly faces, but the compartment that finally caught her eye held three young witches. They looked to be about her age and she recognized the red-head to be Ginerva, so she opened the door and smiled, "Do you mind if I sit with you three?"

The bushy-haired brunette, who she remembered to be Miss Granger, grinned back up at her and gestured to the seat beside her. "Please do. I'm Hermione Granger. This is Luna Lovegood," Hermione pointed to an oddly dressed blonde. She seemed even stranger than most witches and wizards Annabelle had met so far. Now gesturing toward the red-head, "This is Ginny Weasley."

Annabelle sat down next to the brunette after putting her trunk above her seat and across from Ginny and smiled, glancing between each of the three witches. "I'm Annabelle Wyte. This is my, uh, first year going to Hogwarts."

Luna smiled and spoke in a bubbly, yet vacant voice. "It's my first year, too." Pausing, the blonde's dreamy eyes met Annabelle's forest green ones. "You seem confused. Perhaps your head is filled with Wrackspurts."

Hermione and Ginny both glanced toward the blonde, their eyebrows raised. Ginny was the one to finally voice the unspoken question. "Luna, what exactly are Wrackspurts?"

"Do you read _The Quibbler_? If not, then you wouldn't know that they're invisible and they float in through your ears and make your mind all fuzzy." Letting her sentence slowly drift to a whisper, Luna gazed out the window, letting her hair drape over her butterbeer cork necklace.

With the other three witches still getting over shock from Luna's odd statements, silence filled the compartment for a few minutes. Eventually, Ginny spoke up. "I'm a first year, too. I'm the last of seven kids to pass through Hogwarts. Mom says that I'll end up in Gryffindor, just like all my brothers, her and dad. Everyone in my family has always been a Gryffindor." The ginger's brown eyes sparkled with hope as she denied her fear of ending up in a different house. Surely, even she would end up in Gryffindor.

"Ginny, I'm sure you'll end up in Gryffindor with Harry, Ron, and I. You seem much braver than Ron, anyway. Plus, he can be so rude, and you're polite. Gryffindor may be the best house, but the other houses aren't that bad either. I mean, I was almost sorted into Ravenclaw, but apparently the sorting hat saw something that no one else did." The brunette drifted off into a thought for a moment before smiling. "I didn't even see what it saw."

Again, the compartment fell into silence and Annabelle stood up to pull her book out of her trunk. Noticing that the younger blonde was having trouble, Hermione smiled and summoned the book. "Accio Annabelle's book." The book soared past Annabelle's hand and landed with a soft 'thud' in Hermione's hand. Closing her trunk, Annabelle turned toward the brunette and smiled sheepishly. "Thanks. I would have eventually gotten the trunk down, but I appreciate the help."

Hermione handed her the book with a shrug. "It wasn't a problem. Plus, you'll learn how to do that soon enough, and if you have trouble, let me know." Turning back to her own book, the brunette left the first year alone to read.

Annabelle quickly became absorbed in her book and soon night had fallen upon them, which meant they were nearing the castle. Professor McGonagall had warned her of this signal and she quickly stood up to grab her robes. They were more easily accessible than her book had been, so she grabbed them the first try.

Glancing around the compartment, she found that Ginny and Luna were quietly conversing on their side of the compartment, while Hermione was still transfixed with her book. Clearing her throat quietly, Annabelle decided to speak. "I imagine we'll be arriving soon, so I'm going to go change into my robes." Opening the compartment door, she headed toward the bathrooms and slipped out of her muggle clothes. Pulling her uniform shirt on her arms, she quickly buttoned it up, but kept on her black slacks. She then clasped her robes over her shoulders and made her way back to the compartment.

All three other girls took turns heading to the bathroom to change into their robes. Hermione's was the only outfit that was different, as she had a Gryffindor tie and vest. Soon enough though, they were pulling into Hogsmeade station and everyone was leaving the train.

A large man with a scruffy beard called for the first years. "Firs' ye'rs foll'r me! This way firs' ye'rs!" Slowly, all the first year students found their way to the half giant and gathered around. "I'm Rubeus Hagrid, and I'll be ye'r escort up to ther castle. Foll'r me!" With this, he began walking straight toward a lake where a number of little boats waited for the students. They all began to board boats and both Ginny and Luna ended up in the same boat as Annabelle. The three were also accompanied by a boy named Colin Creevey, and another boy named Richard Orkinson. The five sat in awe as they crossed the lake toward a magnificent and stunning castle. Annabelle believed that the pictures simply didn't do it justice.

Finally, their journey ended and they walked toward the school. One in the entrance hall, they quickly made their way toward the Great Hall. Here, the sorting would take place, quickly followed by the start of term feast. They were met outside the great hall by none other than Professor McGonagall, herself.

Once all the students had arrived, the elder witch began her speech. "Welcome to Hogwarts. The start of term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats, you will be sorted into your four houses. The Sorting ceremony is extremely important because your house will be like your family. You will eat at your house table, have classes with your house, and share a common area to study and relax. The four houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Each house has produced many great witches and wizards and has a noble history to speak for. Your triumphs will win your house points, while any rule breaking will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points wins The House Cup. This is a great honor, and I hope you will all contribute to whichever house chooses you." She paused and gave the children a small smile before continuing. "The sorting will begin momentarily. I recommend you prepare yourself, as the sorting takes place in front of the whole school. I will return for you when we're ready."

At this, the elder witch turned away and walked back into the great hall, leaving behind a mass of nervous, yet excited children. Annabelle's hands began to perspire and she wanted to rid herself of this nervous energy. She was terrified. What if none of the houses wanted her? Not even Hufflepuff!

Soon, Annabelle's thoughts were interrupted as the regal witch returned. Standing in front of the crowd of young minds, Minerva clapped her hands once. "We are ready for you. Follow me." Not giving them a chance to worry any longer, she quickly turned around and marched into the great hall with a string of eleven-year-olds behind her. She stopped at the edge of a raised platform and spun around. "Please file in through here." She gestured in front of her as she laid a hand lightly upon the back of the sorting ceremony stool. An old, battered hat already sat on top of the stool and seemed to awaken as she moved closer to it.

Minerva looked to her husband, who was now standing with his hands raised in front of him, demanding silence, she smiled. He did his job so well. Now, he opened his mouth to speak, "I have a few welcoming words to say before the sorting begins. They are: Nimwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" Now, the elder man sat down and gestured for his wife to continue, however the Sorting Hat then opened its mouth and began to sing.

_The time of fear is coming_

_Without an easy out_

_But band together as a school_

_And not just as a house_

_Though it's my job to split you up_

_I hope you heed my word_

_The ones who came before you_

_Could have lived in great accord_

_Though Hufflepuff was loyal_

_And sweet and patient too_

_Her justice couldn't beat the void_

_That soon made itself true_

_Though Gryffindor gave all his will_

_And daring nerve in too_

_He just couldn't beat the abyss_

_His courage did not come through_

_As wise and clever and brainy_

_As sure old Raveclaw be_

_Her wit and teaching couldn't fix_

_The rift parting one from three_

_For Slytherin claimed only those_

_With purest bloodlines true._

_And his glory meant the most_

_Not teaching young minds, like you_

_But now it's time to sort you out_

_And find just where you fit_

_Perhaps you'll be a Hufflepuff_

_Where justice beats out wit_

_Or you may be in Ravenclaw_

_Whose minds prevail as first_

_Or maybe chivalrous Gryffindor_

_Is where your heart does lurk_

_And some will be in Slytherin_

_Where cunning matters most_

_So place me on your little head_

_And listen to me close_

_I will choose where you belong_

_And my word counts as law_

_So let the sorting now begin_

_And I will sort you all._

The Sorting Hat finished its song and Minerva looked to her youngest students. "When I call your name, you will come sit on the bar stool and place the hat on your head. The hat will sort you into your four houses. Let us being with Thomas Bernard."

A tall, brunette boy walked toward the chair and sat down on the stool, giving his Slytherin, older sister a wink. He doubted that he'd be in Slytherin, but it helped to keep a cool front, or so she said. The Sorting Hat gave a few contemplative sounds before opening its mouth and shouting, "RAVENCLAW!"

The boy ran off to sit with his new house and McGonagall called up the next student, Collin Creevey, as soon as the applause died down. Creevey, a short haired brunette, made his way up to the stool and grabbed his camera before taking a picture of the hat. After performing this task, he sat down and Minerva set the hat on his head. The hat took very little time in determining that he'd be in, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Annabelle's fears began to consume her and she bit her lower lip hard enough to make it bleed. She stopped listening to the sorting, but looked up in time to see a petite brunette make her way up to the stool. Her name had been Astoria Greengrass, or that's what Annabelle thought she had heard. The hat took a few moments to contemplate before yelling out, "SLYTHERIN!"

The green and silver table erupted in cheers, but one voice could be heard above all the rest. "That's my Storia! Yea!" The girl bore striking resemblance to the younger girl and Annabelle gathered it was her sister.

Again, Annabelle let her mind drift off until she heard a name she recognized. Luna Lovegood made her way up to the sorting hat and sat down. No sooner had the hat touched her head than it shouted out, "RAVENCLAW!"

Again, the applause had to die down before Minerva could sort the next student, and when she did, she called Richard Orkinson who soon became a Hufflepuff. Annabelle was really beginning to hate her last name as the students in the front of the room dwindled down. Finally, there were two students left, both with last names beginning with a "W."

"Ginny Weasley." The red-head slowly made her way up to the hat and squeezed her eyes shut. The hat laughed cheerfully and spoke aloud. "Another Weasley! There's no place to go, but GRYFFINDOR!" The applause that erupted were monumental and Annabelle looked back to see multiple red-head standing up, applauding to their heart's content.

Now Minerva looked at her young charge and called out her name, watching closely as the blonde gingerly sat down on the stool and grimaced as the hat settled over her ears.

Annabelle copied Ginny's actions and squeezed her eyes shut as an eerie voice erupted in her head. "I can see all your thoughts. There's nothing you can hide from me, and I see your fears, but where to put you? Definitely not a Slytherin, though you're certainly cunning enough. Hufflepuff would love to have you, but perhaps one of the others is a better fit, even if you have the loyalty to make it. Your mind is perhaps the ripest I've seen this year and Ravenclaw would serve you well, but there's something else there too. You want to prove yourself. Your heart is brave and pure even though it's been tainted by darkness. This speaks of more courage than I've seen in years, young one. This means there's no house I can put you in, but, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Annabelle sat in stunned silence for a moment as cheers erupted and Minerva took the hat off of her head. Slowly, she walked to her new house table and smiled at Ginny. She was officially a Gryffindor, and couldn't stop beaming. She barely heard Albus as he reminded everyone that the Forbidden Forest was strictly off limits and didn't register anything until food begun to appear in front of her. Eating and talking along with Ginny, time flew quickly.

Annabelle hadn't looked up to the house table even once and Minerva was growing disappointed. She wanted to congratulate her student on being chosen for Gryffindor. Her hand clenched around her fork and she took a deep breath, trying to steady herself when she felt a hand gently cover her own. As she looked up, Minerva met the twinkling blue eyes of her husband and smiled.

"She's alright, dear. You'll have time to talk to her later. She has your class, after all." With this reassuring gesture and the night fading fast, Albus stood up and sent his students off to their dorms.

Annabelle shot up out of her seat and caught sight of a red-headed boy, presumably a Weasley, calling for the first year's attention. He wore a badge with a "P" on it and claimed to be important. He was since he'd be leading the first years up to their dorms, but he still seemed slightly annoying.

The first years followed him up to their common room on the seventh floor and listened closely as he spoke the password, "Thestral wings." After entering the common room, he directed the boys to their dorms and gave instructions on how to get to the girls' dorm.

There were only four girls in their year that had been sorted into Gryffindor and when they arrived in their room, they found there were only four beds. Hermione had told them there would probably be five. From left to right, the girls were Matilda, Bethany, Ginny, and then Annabelle. Their trunks sat at the end of their beds, and Annabelle's belongings were all enlarged again. Sylvanna was already curled up in bed asleep, so Annabelle quickly pulled the drapes around her bed and changed out of her robes and into her pajamas. Returning a 'goodnight' to Ginny, Annabelle closed her eyes and fell asleep to Sylvanna's purring.


	10. Parchment And Pictures

It's been a lot longer than I initially intended to make you all wait for this chapter, but a lot of things happened. First, I couldn't find my copy of HPCS, and then I got to teaching and had to do prep work for my classes, and well...life happened! Still, I've been dutifully working on this when I get a chance and you now have chapter ten! I'm also going to begin working on another story, but this is still my primary focus. I got the idea for the other one, and couldn't deny my creative outlet, especially since I couldn't find any story like it on here. I'll upload it eventually. R & R. :)

Anyway, thanks to Lollipops101, Cherrie, Lillypheonix, & khaoula McGamoura for reviewing. Also, thanks to Cdlindsey for story alerting.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K Rowling does!

Minerva woke up to the smell of coffee. She groaned and turned over in bed, pulling the covers up over her head. Coffee from Albus meant that school was starting again, and that meant she had to replace her normal self with her cold, strict façade again. She had to start it last night, when dealing with two particular 2nd years. Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter decided to fly a wretched car to Hogwarts and expose themselves.

Albus had obviously heard his wife's moan as the door seemed to open by itself, letting in a cold draft of air, as well as intensifying the intoxicating smell of coffee. Oh, how she loved and hated this man! Sighing, she pulled herself out of bed and wrapped a robe around her small frame. "There better be bacon waiting for me in the Great Hall, or you're going to have one mad cat on your hands, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore."

As expected, this was simply met with a good hearted laugh from her husband. Surely, she wouldn't be angry at him for waking her up in plenty of time to get ready for class. Stalking to the kitchen, Minerva conjured a mug and filled it with black coffee, inhaling the majestic aroma.

Giving Albus a quick kiss, she went to go get ready for school: replacing her tartan pajamas with a set of emerald green robes. Not wanting to bother with her hair today, Minerva tied it into a tight bun with the assistance of a little bit of magic and placed a pointed hat over the top.

Today, she would teach a double with 4th year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, followed by a single with 3rd year Slytherins and Ravenclaws. After lunch, she had a single with 1st year Gryffindors and Slytherins, followed by a double with her 6th year N.E.W.T.s students. She was most concerned about her 1st year class. Any class with Gryffindors and Slytherins in it tended to go poorly.

Hurrying to finish getting ready as she still had to pass out Gryffindor's schedules, Minerva downed the rest of her coffee and left her private chambers with Albus following closely behind her.

Upon reaching the Great Hall, Minerva noticed that half of her pupils were already seated at Gryffindor table. Therefore, she immediately began passing out schedules, occasionally stopping to make small talk with an older student or give advice to a younger one.

More and more Gryffindors were piling into the Great Hall and she found herself left with only a few schedules. One of which was Annabelle, but she also had Fred, George, and Ginerva Weasley's as well. Somehow, she could only imagine that Fred and George were up to no good, where as she had no clue what the young woman were up to. She only hoped that they weren't with the troublesome twins.

Making her way to the head table, she settled into a seat next to Albus and began to pile her plate with food, including lots of bacon. Minerva kept her eyes fixed on the entrance to the Great Hall, praying that Ginny and Annabelle would come through at any moment.

To her relief, two bubbly first years soon came dashing into the great hall. They slid into their seats and Ginny immediately began to eat. Almost immediately thereafter, the morning post arrived and Minerva was pleased to see Myranda flying her way. It was rare that her mother wrote to her now, and so she was pleased to receive something from her.

Petting the small owl, Minerva removed its burden and began to unfold the letter as a crash erupted at the Gryffindor table. In front of Miss & Mr. Weasley, Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, Mr. Longbottom& Miss Wyte sat a wretched looking owl. It had knocked over multiple trays of food and seemed to be immobilized until it suddenly hopped up and brought the piece of red parchment to Mr. Weasley.

Slowly, the neglected letter began to smoke at the corners and this, apparently, did the job. Mr. Weasley reached out and took the letter into his hand, releasing it from Errol's beak and slitting it open. Mr. Longbottom had plugged his ears and soon it was clear as to why. Minerva caught sight of the many gaping mouths around the Great Hall and sighed. Mrs. Weasley never did anything half heartedly. This was going to be bad.

Annabelle stared at the envelope in wonder as it began to speak, more like scream, in a woman's voice. "STEALING THE CAR. I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT TILL I GET HOLD OF YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE."

Annabelle continued to look on in horror as Ron Weasley sank lower into his chair, so that only his crimson forehead could be seen above the table.

"LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU AND HARRY COULD BOTH HAVE DIED"

Looking from Ron to Harry and finally settling on Ginny's own horrified face, Annabelle raised a questioning eyebrow which was ignored because the envelope continued to spew.

"ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED-YOUR FATHER'S FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME."

Ginny gave a sigh of relief and turned back to her porridge. Annabelle was about to ask what in the hell was going on when a hand rested on both hers and Ginny's shoulders. They gave each other a glance and slowly turned around, worried that they were already in trouble on the first day! However, Minerva simply wanted to give them their schedules it seemed.

"I expect to see you both on time for Transfiguration this afternoon, but first, I believe you need to head down to the dungeons for double potions with Professor Snape." With this, the stern witch made her way back to the head table and sat down next to her husband for the second time that morning. Both Minerva and Annabelle finished their breakfast quickly and made their way to their respective classrooms.

Minerva caught sight of the twins on the way to her office and sent their schedules to them, not bothering to stop and hand it off. They didn't seem to be doing anything too out of the ordinary, so she let it be. There was no need to hand out detentions before the first class even took place. Of course, she'd already broken that rule, but she hadn't officially determined what their detention would be, so she didn't consider it handing out detentions yet.

Annabelle reached the potions classroom and walked inside with Ginny. About half of their class appeared to be there already and the pair moved to sit together at a desk. Soon, a greasy haired man in a black cloak came swooping into the room and immediately began a lecturing the first years profusely. They were to bring all of their supplies next time they had his class, but today they only took notes. Since the class was full of Ravenclaws, Annabelle was not completely singled out for her intelligence. It was difficult to outshine a classroom full of Ravenclaws when it came to wits.

Moving on to History of Magic, Ginny and Annabelle snagged two seats in the front and were surprised to see that their teacher was actually a ghost! However, as the shock wore off, so did their interest. Annabelle took notes all throughout the class, but even she was annoyed by his tedious droning by the time lunch rolled around.

Lunch went smoothly and soon the pair was running up to the Transfiguration room, in hopes of being early and grabbing seats in the front row again. Having been distracted, talking to one another, they didn't see the tall figure in front of them until it was too late. They collided with Professor McGonagall and fell backwards and landed on their rumps, both of them scowling. However, their professor was also sitting on the ground, giving the pair a hearty glare.

Annabelle was the first to recover and jumped up, her face bright red. "Oh, Professor, I'm so sorry!" Now, Ginny had found her legs and stood beside Annabelle, looking thoroughly embarrassed herself. "We were excited, professor. We didn't mean to run into you. Really."

Watching how upset her pupils were, Minerva decided not to punish them for running around the school. "I suggest you watch where you're going next time." Pushing herself off the ground, the professor grimaced. She had certainly bruised more than her ego with that hit. "Also, know that next time you will be punished for your foolishness. So, don't let it happen again." Now, Minerva pushed open the door to her classroom and waved the two first years in. "I expect the rest of your class will be arriving soon, but I suggest you go ahead and take your seats and get your books out. You'll be learning theories today."

Minerva then stalked out of the room, only to turn into the form of her animagus. It was a ritual for her to amaze the first years with her sudden transformations. Her biggest disappointment this year, would be that Annabelle already knew about it, so there was no need to amaze her like everyone else. Sauntering back into the classroom, she leaped onto the desk and situated herself so that she was comfortable to watch the students file in.

Finally, all of her first year Gryffindors and Slytherins were seated and quietly talking, waiting for their teacher to appear. The only thing that stuck out to Minerva was the occasional glance she continued to get from Annabelle as she spoke with Miss Weasley. After another minute or so, she hopped from the desk, turning back into her human form as she did so.

Annabelle had been waiting for something to happen for over ten minutes now and she couldn't help but gasp and applaud with everyone else when it finally occurred. Her teacher was so magnificent.

Minerva's eyes scanned the room and once she had put every face to memory, she began her lecture. "First years, transfiguration is some of the most intricate and dangerous magic you will learn during your time at Hogwarts. Anyone I catch messing around in my class will leave and not come back." She paused and tapped her fingers on a brunette's desk, smiling almost maliciously. "Do we understand one another?"

At a multitude of nods from around the room, Minerva persisted on with the class. She instructed them to take notes on parchment, and by the end of class she had already given them an assignment which would be due on Friday at the beginning of class. They needed to write a one foot essay on the uses and dangers of transfiguration. Surely, with everything they talked about, it would be easy to complete for most of the students. Most of her Gryffindors and Slytherins seemed to be bright enough, and there weren't any major rivalries within her classroom yet. Minerva sighed and began to prepare for her N.E.W.T.'s class.

Annabelle and Ginny meandered toward the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, not sure they were looking forward to this class. Ginny had seen him at his book signing and the man seemed to be overly egoistic. He may have a nice smile, but that nice smile was found on a rather large head, and big heads weren't very attractive to either witch. Reaching the classroom, they knew that this was going to be a day that they would remember for a long time to come.

The walls were littered with pictures of Professor Lockhart, all of them with his trademark smile. They groaned to themselves and made their way into the room, where a flock of Slytherin girls were fawning over him. Surely, they realized that he was not all that smart, even if he had been sorted into Ravenclaw for some unknown reason.

They sat through the lesson, and Annabelle continued to take notes, where as Ginny preferred to pass notes. Of course, she only passed notes with Annabelle, so it was easy enough to do, but that didn't keep Annabelle from worrying.

Surely enough, Professor Lockhart called the two of them up to his office at the end of the class, looking very disappointed. Annabelle was just waiting for a lecture when he smiled sadly. "Now, ladies, why is it that you don't look excited to be spending time with me? Surely, you've noticed that I'm a wonderful teacher, yet you seem so down. Did old Professor McGonagall turn you sour?"

Annabelle's nostrils flared, eerily similar to "old Professor McGonagall's," but she dutifully kept her lips sealed.

"My dear girls, don't let her bring you down. She means well, but she's getting old and bitter, so her meaning gets lost in the communication. Don't worry about her." With that he patted each girl on the top of the head and reached behind him to grab a set of pictures. He quickly signed them and handed them to either girl. "There! That should cheer you two up!"

Again, they didn't smile, but he let it be. Obviously, the transfiguration was way too hard on them. He waved them off and watched as they made their way out of his classroom.

The moment they were out of his classroom, they dashed for the nearest trash can and disposed of the photos. That man was so full of himself! After getting rid of their autographed pictures, they walked toward the entrance hall, hoping to roam the grounds a little before dinner.

They walked around the lake and begun to discuss their classes. They'd have Astronomy tonight. They'd also have Herbology, Charms, Potions, and History of Magic tomorrow. On Saturday, they were scheduled to have their first flying lesson, and Annabelle couldn't be more excited.

After a short while, the pair headed to the Great Hall for dinner and then quickly made their way to bed. It was going to be a long week.


	11. Whomping Witches

A little bit of action for you all.

Thanks Zoe tabby & BottledGreenFairy for favoring/alerting.

Disclaimer: I'm not J. K. Rowling

The next few weeks went by in a blur as Ginny and Annabelle got settled into their classes and before they knew it, Halloween was just around the corner. As expected, Annabelle was excelling at most of her classes, especially Charms, Transfiguration and Potions. She also had a certain knack for Herbology that Professor Sprout could not get over. The teachers were beginning to like Annabelle, even though Snape would certainly deny it. Things seemed pretty normal and Annabelle was beginning to like it here. It was becoming somewhat of a home to her.

One day, however, Ginny and Annabelle were walking the school grounds and spotted the Whomping Willow. Annabelle was holding her wand in her hand and as her eyes met the glorious tree, her wand shot out little sparks. Not even noticing the sparks, Annabelle turned off course and began to run toward the willow, not hearing, or perhaps ignoring, Ginny's shouts of disapproval as she followed, close on her heels.

The tree was swinging dangerously back and forth as she neared it. Suddenly, she glanced down and saw the little red sparks that were shooting from the tip of her wand, and it clicked. Mr. Ollivander had mentioned the willow tree, the Whomping Willow. How had she not thought about that? She knew the name of the tree and everything, yet she failed to make such a simple connection. She raised her wand and pointed it at the tree, watching as the sparks stopped. Confused, she looked back up at the tree to see it stood perfectly still too.

Time seemed to halt as the realization of her actions took over and Annabelle took another step forward as a hard weight pressed against her back, forcing her to topple to the ground with the weight still pressing against her.

Annabelle's mind shut off as she began to fall. She wouldn't be trapped again. She wasn't defenseless to him anymore. She wouldn't let them touch her again. Pushing up against the weight, she cried out and suddenly the weight was gone. She collapsed where she was and braced herself for the blow…that never came.

Still paranoid, but calming down slightly, Annabelle's mind finally cleared enough to hear the voice of her attacker.

"What the hell, Belle? You were walking toward the bloody Whomping Willow. What the hell were you thinking?" The voice shot through her skull and straight to her brain, penetrating what composure she had as tears began to fall.

The voice softened and it was suddenly closer, as well. "Annabelle, what's going on? I'm not mad."

Annebells' mind was racing and all she could muster was a soft, low whimper. The voice was Ginny and she wasn't going to hurt her. Had she hurt Ginny when she tried to pull away? Looking up, she caught a pair of worried brown eyes staring into her own green ones. "I'm sorry. I, uh, overreacted."

Seeing that the blonde was okay to talk, Ginny decided that she wasn't reigning in her temper any longer. "You did more than bloody overreacting. How am I going to explain a black eye to Madame Pomfrey? What were you doing?"

Annabelle flinched at the harsh words, but slowly pushed herself into a sitting position where she quickly pulled her knees up to her chest. "I said I overreacted. I'm sorry." She laid her head on her knees, sighing. "The tree and I react strangely. I was testing a theory."

Ginny accompanied her on the ground and began to pluck grass and tear it apart. "Yea, well next time tell me when you're going on a suicidal experiment mission, okay? I won't jump you." She attempted a grin, but became slightly frustrated as it turned to a grimace. "What kind of bloody theory were you testing anyway?"

Annabelle couldn't help a small smile as she recalled her wand's reaction to the tree. "My wand's from the Whomping Willow, and they seemed to react to one another. I wanted to see just how much and if it would let me get close without trying to take me out." After a moment's pause, Annabelle's grin grew wider and she continued. "However, you seemed to be more eager to take me out than the Whomping willow anyway."

Ginny nodded, chuckling as she did so. "Yea, well, I'd rather be the one to take you out. Anyway, what was the whole panic attack about? You freaked out on me a minute ago."

Looking down, Annabelle took notice of her mud covered jeans and tee shirt. "Right…that… I guess I was scared of who might be tackling me. I mean, I've heard some horrible stories about the Slytherins." She trailed off and bit her lip, knowing Ginny would see right through her.

Ginny huffed and scanned the area around them. "Annabelle, look around. Tell me. Do you see any Slytherins?" As the blonde witch shook her head, Ginny pushed on. "There weren't any out this way when we came out either. Therefore, I doubt it was Slytherins that scared the bejesus out of you."

Annabelle stared past her, to the Whomping Willow and sighed. "Ginny, it's not like I can just tell you all my secrets. I mean, I just met you a little under two months ago."

Ginny's eyes turned a darker shade of brown in rage and she moved to stand up, but the same eyes pleaded with Annabelle to make her stay. "You can't tell me all your secrets, but I told you all of mine. I told you about Harry. I told you about Quidditch. I even told you about the bloody diary that no one else knows about. Bleeding hell! I even showed you how it worked, yet you can't tell me your secrets." She waved her hands in the air, dramatizing her next statement. "No. Annabelle's secrets are too big for Ginny. Ginny can't handle Annabelle's secrets." Her eyes turning cold after the fire that they had just unleashed, Ginny set her gaze on Annabelle again and scowled. "Fine. If that's what you'd prefer, I'll just make my way up to Madame Pomfrey and get fixed up."

Annabelle rubbed at her eyes, forcing herself not to let the tears fall. She wouldn't let them fall. At least, she wouldn't until Ginny made to get up again. Now the tears began to overflow and instead of jumping up to stop Ginny, she let her go. Belle let her best, and only, friend walk away over a secret. Not only was it a secret, but it was one she never wanted. It was one she never deserved, but now it was hers to keep.

She tore off towards the Whomping Willow, no longer caring how it would react. She pointed her wand at it and prayed that she'd find a way to climb onto its massive limbs. To her surprise and amazement, the tree lowered a rather large limb to the ground for her to climb onto, and once she was securely on it, lifted itself back into the air. She settled deep into the branches and stayed there, crying silently among the branches.

What Annabelle didn't know is that Ginny hadn't gone to Madame Pomfrey at all. After a short time of deliberation and deep thought, Ginny had decided to talk to Professor McGonagall about her paranoid and closed off friend. She made her way to the stern professor's office and prayed that she would be there on a Saturday afternoon. She knocked softly, and her scowl deepened

Now, Ginny banged on the door and cursed aloud as she heard footsteps. Professor McGonagall would be rather displeased that she was banging on her door. Finally, the door swung open and Professor McGonagalla stood on the other side, looking very unimpressed with her young student.

"Miss Weasley, I take it there was a reason that you're pounding on my door."Minerva sighed and finally took a good look at the young witch in front of her and noticed the rather large bruise that was beginning to gain color. "Miss Weasley, I demand you tell me where you got that black eye." If one of her cubs was getting into trouble, she wanted to know why so she could punish the other offending party, too.

Ginny shrugged and glanced up to meet her teacher's searing, yet worried eyes. "Professor, it's not me that I want to talk about. You see, there's another student who might be in more trouble than I am right now." As her professor's hand twitched toward her wand, Ginny foolishly reached out and gripped her professor's wand arm. "Professor! They're not in immediate danger, but I need to talk to you."

The professor looked down to the small hand now gripping her wrist and slowly lifted her eyes to the pale brown ones looking at her inquisitively. "Of course, but if you ever raise your voice when speaking to me again, you will find yourself in detention. Am I clear, Miss Weasley?" At her pupils nod, she opened the door further and turned around. "Come sit down, Miss Weasley. Would you like some tea?"

Ginny shook her head as she sat down in the chair across from the professor's chair. "No thank you, Professor." Suddenly, Ginny seemed nervous and concentrated on a stray hair that had fallen onto her pants until Minerva's voice jolted her out of her reverie.

"Miss Weasley, you said you wanted to discuss another student with me. I'm not one to listen to gossip, but I gather that what you have to say is relatively important if you're willing to take time out of your Saturday to come and speak with me?" The deputy headmistress raised an eyebrow at the red-headed witch. Why did students seem to be so tight lipped around her?

"Well, you see, Professor. I don't think this person will want me to talk to you about her. She's already mad at me for trying to get her to talk to me, and I'm her best friend." Now that Ginny had begun to talk, she didn't seem able to stop herself. "Professor, I don't know what to do! I'm worried about her, but she won't tell me what's wrong." Ginny balled her hands into fists and rubbed at her eyes with frustrated tears beginning to flow down her cheeks. "Professor, something's wrong with her and I don't know what it is. How can I help her if she won't tell me what's wrong?"

Minerva was practically stunned into silence as the girl began to ramble and slowly push herself into hysterics. "Miss Weasley, are we talking about Miss Wyte?" Though Minerva knew it couldn't be anyone else, she wasn't sure she wanted it to be true either. Surely, Miss Wyte wasn't having such issues. She was fine, right?

The ginger witch nodded solemnly and tugged at her hair. "Professor, I don't really have anything else to tell you. I just… well, I hoped you might be able to get to the bottom of this. I'm…I'm really worried about her, is all."

Minerva gave the witch a small smile and clasped her hands on the desk. "Of course, Miss Weasley. I'll do my best to figure out what's going on. Now, I recommend you run along. Dinner will be starting soon, and maybe Miss Wyte will be there."

As the student left, Minerva couldn't help but sigh. She'd been trying to hold back her worries since she'd met the girl, but now they were brought to the surface again. She doubted that Miss Wyte would be at dinner, but after a few minutes, she decided to head down there anyway.

Her wand was tucked safely up her sleeve and she sat at the head table, scanning the Gryffindor table for any sign of the all-too-familiar blonde hair. Though her composure seemed perfectly calm, her eyes betrayed the nerves and worries that she was beginning to harbor again.

She had barely touched her food when a warm hand lay gently on her thigh, bringing her out of her thoughts with the simple touch. "Tabby, if you're so worried about your cub, go find them. The whole castle won't crumble if you're not at dinner, you know." As perceptive as Albus was, he hadn't figured out that she was looking for Annabelle. To him, she was simply worried about a lost cub.

Minerva nodded, deciding she would do just that. She slowly got up and exited the great hall, making her way up to the seventh floor, where she hoped a certain blonde would be hiding. Arriving at the Fat Lady's portrait she rolled her eyes and spoke, "Fibbertigibbet" and the door immediately swung open with the Fat Lady cackling behind her.

The elder witch stalked up to the first year girls' dormitory and knocked on the door. Again, she sighed when she heard no response and carefully opened the door. All the bed curtains were pushed to the side, and the room's only inhabitant was Sylvanna. Kneeling down, she pet the cat, who had begun to warm up to her over time before leaving the dormitory in search of her student.

Making her way outside, Minerva cast a patronous, asking it to guide her to Miss Wyte. The tabby cat began to float off into the distance, but stopped short and darted away once it came into sight of the old Whomping Willow.

Minerva was puzzled and began to make her way toward the tree, which began to sway dangerously, and more violently with every step she took.

Annabelle had simply wanted to be alone, so she had hidden herself within the branches. Over time, the Whomping Willow had even gone so far as to wrap branches around her, making a hallow that could not be seen from the outside. She felt the tree begin to sway, and was surprised when her compartment stayed practically still.

Minerva walked just out of reach of the deadly tree and cast another patronous, asking it to do the same thing that she had asked her previous one for. Again, the transparent cat no more than took a step toward the tree, than it disappeared into thin air. "Bugger," Minerva whispered under her breath and sighed. She couldn't see Miss Wyte, but what if she'd found out about the Shrieking Shack? What if she had located the passageway? Oh, this was not good at all.

She transformed into her cat form, hoping to make it to the passage without running into trouble. However, the tree reacted strangely today. It swung toward her, preparing to smash her when she looked up and spotted a small, wooden cave. She took a step back, and somehow knew.

Miss Wyte was hiding, and she would not be smashed by the willow just to get to a forlorn student. She and Miss Wyte would discuss this later, and it would not turn out well for Miss Wyte.


	12. Refuge

Okay, so this chapter is really short, but I didn't think that it belonged in the previous chapter, and I wanted to end it there. I'll probably be updating later today anyway, so you shouldn't have to wait too long for more. :) (By the way, I love getting reviews, so let me know what you think! Thanks!)

Thanks to Linzbinz84 for adding me to their story alerts. :)

Disclaimer: I'm not J.K. Rowling

Minerva found herself hidden deep within her study for the rest of the night, until finally, she decided to see if Miss Wyte had found her way back to her dormitory. It was well past curfew, and even Albus had made his way to bed already. The wizard had attempted to coax Minerva back there, but she was having none of it. She couldn't sleep. Things were growing ever-stranger at this castle, and she wanted to know why. Damn it!

Making her way up to Gryffindor Tower in her animagus form, Minerva prowled carefully within the shadows. It was much easier to catch students out of bed when they couldn't see, or hear, you coming. Reaching the seventh floor without incident, Minerva quickly made her way over to the Fat Lady and transformed back. She cleared her throat and waited for the Fat Lady to stir.

Seeing the Deputy Headmistress, the Fat lady straightened up and smiled. "Password?"

Minerva shrugged and rolled her eyes before forcing her mouth to form the word, "Fibbertigibbet." The door swung open before her and she made her way into the Common Room before heading up the girls' staircase.

Reaching the first years' dorm, she slowly pushed the door open. Sighing, she noticed that there was one bed empty, but there was one bed whose inhabitant was certainly not asleep. She made her way over to the red-head's bed and lightly touched her shoulder. She felt the girl stiffen before slowly turning over, trying to hide her tear-stricken face. "Miss Weasley, I suggest you try and get some sleep. Worrying is not going to do you any good. I happen to know where your friend is, and she's safe. I expect you'll see her in Charms tomorrow morning."

The red head simple nodded before turning over again. Surely, Professor McGonagall would refrain from punishing Annabelle for not showing up to supper, right? Nothing says you have to be at every meal. Ginny sighed as the door clicked shut, and she knew she was free of the teacher.

Finding a small amount of solace in the professor's words, she pulled the curtains shut around her and found herself falling into a deep sleep.

Professor McGonagall made her way back outside, heading toward the Whomping Willow. As she neared it, she could barely make out the same cage from earlier. Walking just out of reach, again, Minerva called out to the tree. "Miss Wyte, I'll see you in detention tomorrow night after the feast. You're out of bed way past curfew, and I expect you don't have a good reason. You've also turned a valuable school structure into a violent hideout for your own use. You have a lot of explaining to do, Miss Wyte." With this, the professor turned away, not hearing the racking sobs that came from deep within the tree.

Annabelle curled into herself tighter and gripped at the wood, needing its sturdy security. After another hour, Annabelle picked up her wand and simply pointed it at the cave's wall. Immediately, the wall began to shrink back and she felt herself growing closer to the ground. Finally, the branch met the ground and she clambered off of it, whispering her thanks to the strange tree.

Walking back up to her dormitory, she suddenly grew terrified. What if one of the teachers caught her out of bed? She couldn't get detention twice in one night! Suddenly breaking into a run, Annabelle sprinted the rest of the way to the Fat Lady's portrait. Tapping the portrait, Annabelle found herself growing more anxious by the second. "Miss! Please, I need to get into the Common Room."

Finally, the Fat Lady opened her eyes and looked at the young blonde in front of her. "What are you doing out of bed?" The lady huffed and crossed her arms, glaring down at the child who'd interrupted her sleep. "Never mind. Just tell me the password."

Annabelle stumbled over herself and seemed to shrink back, much like the Whomping Willow, when she heard the portrait's stern voice. Mumbling to the portrait, Annabelle repeated the password and sprinted inside as the door opened. Trudging up to her dormitory, Annabelle opened the door and noticed that her three roommates were already fast asleep. She climbed into bed and curled deep under the covers, finding a refuge in sleep for once.


	13. Spinning Spells

Thanks MissUnderRated, sugobe, the crazy brit, Aslin's fire, & Italiana30 for favoriting or adding this to their story alerts. :)

Also, sorry for not getting this thrown up yesterday like I said I would. My internet crashed on me last night and so I couldn't put anything up. Thanks for the patience!

Disclaimer: I don't own what J.K. Rowling owns.

The next morning, Annabelle woke to an irritated red-head standing beside her, tapping her foot impatiently. "Get dressed. If we're late to Charms, Professor Flitwick will have my head!" Ginny paced toward her bed, roughly grabbing her satchel and throwing it over her shoulder. She then picked up Annabelle's and held it, waiting for her friend to finish getting ready. "We're stopping by the Great Hall to grab something quick to eat before we go to class. You didn't eat last night, and my stomach won't hold out from supper to lunch." She tossed the satchel to her friend and made her way down the spiral staircase, not even checking to see that Annabelle was following, which she was.

Annabelle had to practically run to keep up with Ginny's long, angry strides. Once they made it to the Great Hall, they found it was mostly empty. Ginny grabbed a couple pieces of toast and a glass and shoved them into Annabelle's hands before grabbing the same for herself.

They reached Professor Flitwick's classroom with less than a minute to spare. Annabelle mumbled an apology before slumping into one of two empty seats at the back of class. She sat between Astoria Greengrass and Colin Creevey. Ginny sat on Colin's other side and he kept glancing at the fuming red head nervously, thus scooting closer to Annabelle every few seconds. Eventually, Colin's chair hit Annabelle's causing hers to teeter dangerously, and he grabbed her arm to steady her, which only caused her to yank her arm back, and fall into Astoria's lap.

Being one of the kinder Slytherins, Astoria simply sat there as Annabelle pulled herself up. However, the Slytherin sitting next to her sniggered and whispered something about mudbloods which Annabelle couldn't really hear. All she could tell was that Astoria didn't seem real pleased by this, but she didn't say anything about it either.

Tuning in to the class again, Annabelle set about performing the spell given to them. They were meant to make a feather fly, well levitate really.

Professor Flitwick kept repeating the same phrase over and over, and it was really beginning to get on Annabelle's nerves. She mumbled, "Enough swish and flick. I got it."

Astoria giggled beside her and whispered, "Show him you can do it. Maybe he'll shut up."

Annabelle's eyes grew wide. She hadn't expected Astoria to speak with her after what happened at the beginning of class. Still, Annabelle straightened up in her seat and pointed her wand at the feather. She swished and flicked her wand and spoke, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

The feather hovered for a moment, barely an inch off the desk before fluttering back to the ground. She tried it a few more times and on her fourth try, she spoke and the feather floated up an inch and Annabelle feared it would fall down again, but she gently lifted the tip of her wand and gasped as the feather began to float toward the ceiling. Every time she jerked her wand, it jerked upward.

Astoria was staring, wide eyed at the floating feather. Professor Flitwick had failed to notice the airborne feather so Astoria raised her hand. "Professor Flitwick!"

Professor Flitwick looked over to Astoria, but his gaze stopped short and held on to the hovering feather. Looking down, he saw Astoria's feather was still lying on her desk, while Miss Wyte's was nowhere to be seen. Again, he looked up and clapped his hands. "Very good, Miss Wyte. Well done!" Now, the whole class was staring at the airborne feather and Annabelle couldn't help but grin. She had certainly shut him up.

After a few minutes, the class went back to their own feathers and Annabelle was told to continue practicing. After a few more times, Annabelle was getting it every time and by the time class was over, she was confident that she'd mastered the spell.

She left class beaming, but as they began to walk towards Transfiguration, Annabelle sobered up, remembering everything that had occurred the previous night. She continued walking as her grin faded and curled into a wretched frown. She was in for it now, especially because Ginny still hadn't been to Madame Pomfrey.

They eventually reached the Transfiguration classroom, and Annabelle started to sit in the back when a sharp voice called her. "Annabelle, come up here, please. Drop your stuff off at your _normal_ seat."

Annabelle's eyes widened and she picked her satchel back up and dropped it on the front, middle table. She noticed that Ginny had followed her to the table, but was now sitting down, silently urging her forward.

Annabelle grudgingly took the hint and turned around. Professor McGonagall looked as stern and cold as ever, and Annabelle slightly comforted that she didn't suddenly look larger or scarier. Deciding that McGonagall would talk to her either way, Annabelle slowly walked towards the professor, bowing her head slightly in submission before mumbling, "Yes, Professor?"

Minerva fought the urge to wrap the girl in a hug and fixed her gaze on the blonde hair. "I expect you heard about your detention for tonight?" Seeing the girl nod solemnly, a piece of Minerva's heart shattered. She hated hurting Annabelle. No. She hated hurting Miss Wyte. She shook her head, clearing her mind of any distraction before pushing on. "At the end of the feast, you will meet me at the entrance to the Great Hall and we will walk to my office. Is this clear?" Again, Annabelle only nodded, so Minerva directed her to her seat.

Minerva found it slightly awkward teaching a class when her favorite pupil wouldn't look up from her perfectly transfigured needle. Minerva was walking around the students now, critiquing their work as she passed them. Finally, Minerva stopped in front of Miss Wyte's desk and picked up the needle, turning it over in her hand and setting it back onto the wooden surface. "Turn it back."

The younger witch jerked her head up, afraid that she'd done it wrong. Still, she picked up her wand and whispered the incantation to turn the needle back into a match. Since Annabelle's eyes were still glued to the match, she missed the momentary smile that crossed her instructor's face. "Very well, Miss Wyte. You're free to go to lunch." Turning away from Annabelle, Minerva directed her next statement to the whole class. "You may leave when you can produce a needle and turn it back to its' original state. Bring the transfigured needle up to the front desk and perform the second spell in front of me."

By now, Annabelle had finished gathering her belongings and was walking to the door. However, she stopped short upon hearing her instructor's voice. "Miss Wyte, don't forget about your detention this evening." This caused the whole class to erupt in whispers as Annabelle fled the classroom.

When the end of the school day rolled around, many rumors were already flying around. The worst part about the rumors, was that the truth was, perhaps, even crazier than all the farfetched rumors. A hostile tree had made a secret cave for her after reacting to her wand and had then attempted to attack a teacher. That was crazy, even for wizarding standards.

Annabelle spent the rest of the afternoon studying and soon made her way to the Great Hall to have supper with all the other Gryffindors.

Ginny could tell Annabelle was nervous, so she simply chattered away, knowing that Annabelle would not remember a single thing that they discussed tonight. Eventually, the end of dinner came and Annabelle looked up and caught Professor McGonagall's eye.

At the teacher's silent command, Annabelle rose from her seat and began walking toward the exit, holding her breath as she waited for the professor to catch up with her.

_Tonight is going to be hell._


	14. Only One Cat Can Breathe

**While the Other Inhales**

(it wouldn't let me finish the chapter title)

Another chapter should be coming very soon since it's half done already!

Thanks Juliefan1, the crazy brit, & khaoula McGamoura for reviewing! Thanks carlos20dgm, khaoula McGamoura, Juliefan1, & dancer4813 for favoriting or adding Tabby Cats & Wizards to their alerts.

Disclaimer: I'm not J.K. Rowling.

Minerva walked up to her young charge and as she walked past her, she spoke, "Miss Wyte, this way." She knew she was being rather curt with the child, but she couldn't help but be frustrated. She cared about this child more than she was allowed to, and yet, this child was trying to close her out. Annabelle needed to quit this game before she lost.

As they walked, Minerva guided her up the corridors with a number of students milling around them. Suddenly though, all movement halted and a hush fell over the crowd. Minerva heard Argus yelling up ahead and she pushed her way through the crowd in time to see Albus reprimanding the caretaker.

Mrs. Norris was hung up by her tail next to words that looked to be written in blood.

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.

Albus called the three second year students to follow him up to Professor Lockhart's office and Minerva couldn't help but roll her eyes. Of course, _he_ was getting in the middle of it. Still, she followed after her husband along with Snape and Annabelle. She instructed Annabelle to wait outside as she walked into Gilderoy's office.

Minerva shut the door softly behind her and turned her attention to the frozen cat. As annoying as her caretaker was, Mrs. Norris could actually be quite social and was very pleasant to Minerva. Dumbledore stood over Mrs. Norris with his nose barely an inch above her fur and was poking and prodding her all over the place. Minerva bent down beside him and narrowed her eyes. This did seem very suspicious, and her subs were involved. This was not good.

Lockhart began making suggestions and suddenly stopped and looked toward the door. "Minerva, your pupil is sitting outside! She can hear us!" He then picked up his wand and pointed it toward the door, "Silencio!" However, he mispronounced the word and the spell backfired, making it incredibly easy for Annabelle to hear everything.

She could hear Filch's racking sobs and Minerva's sighs. Lockhart continued making suggestions and claiming that if he was there, she never would have died. She could even hear Dumbledore as he began to mutter spells over Mrs. Norris and tapped his wand against her stiff body.

Annabelle gasped when she heard Dumbledore's next comment. _She's not dead?_

There was a momentary silence in the room before Filch broke the silence. "Not dead? But why's she all – all stiff and frozen?" Another sob shook his body and Minerva frowned. This night was not going well at all. She looked to her husband for an explanation.

Albus returned her gaze before shifting it back to Argus momentarily. "She's been Petrified, but how, I cannot say…"

"Ah! I thought so!" exclaimed Lockhart as Filch screeched, "Ask him!" He pointed a crooked finger at Harry and glowered at the child.

Minerva stepped between the caretaker and her cub as Dumbledore began to speak. "No second year could have done this. It would take Dark Magic of the most advanced-"

"He did it, he did it! You saw what he wrote on the wall! He found – in my office – he knows I'm a – I'm a –" His face scrunched up and he glared disrespectfully at Dumbledore. "He knows I'm a Squib!"

"I never _touched _Mrs. Norris!" Minerva spun around to look at her student as she stepped to the side, letting Albus look at him. "And I don't even know what a Squib is."

Annabelle found herself thoroughly confused by this point. What was a Squib? How had Mrs. Norris been Petrified? Why did they think that three second year Gryffindors had done something so, supposedly, horrible? The arguing continued and Annabelle couldn't help but feel sorry for Hermione, Ron, and Harry. From what she'd heard, they didn't sound like bad people. They just appeared to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Surely, that wasn't a crime.

Annabelle had tuned out the whole conversation until she heard Minerva again, and this time she sounded more than frustrated. "I see no reason to stop the boy playing Quidditch. This cat wasn't hit over the head with a broomstick. There is no evidence at all that Potter has done anything wrong."

However, silence consumed the room for a moment before Albus spoke. "Innocent until proven guilty, Severus."

"My cat has been Petrified!" Filch shrieked. "I want to see some _punishment_!"

Albus calmly spoke again, this time completely focused on Argus Filch. "We will be able to cure her, Argus. Professor Sprout recently managed to procure some Mandrakes. As soon as they have reached their full size, I will have a potion made to revive Mrs. Norris."

Lockhart began to exclaim that he'd make it and was naming different reasons when Snape interrupted him, his voice extremely cold. "Excuse me, but I believe I am the Potions master at this school."

Again, there was a pregnant pause before anyone spoke again. When they did, it was Albus, telling the trio they could leave.

The three students got up and sped down the hallway, not sparing a glance in her direction. They went up the nearest staircase and disappeared.

Annabelle figured she'd see them up in the common room later, but first she had to serve a detention with McGonagall. She sighed and leaned her head back against the wall. It had to be getting rather late by now. She closed her eyes and fell asleep listening to Severus and Minerva bicker back and forth.

Minerva knew she was being foolish. Bickering with a colleague, especially Severus was going to get her nowhere. She glanced toward Albus, who was sitting there, smiling patiently at her. At her nod, he pulled himself up from a rather sunken armchair and spoke, "I believe it's well past time for us to get to bed, and I believe Minerva still has a student outside. Though, I'd be surprised if she hadn't already fallen asleep. It is past midnight, my dear."

Without glancing toward either wizard, Minerva spun around and practically ran to the door, swinging it open and glancing to the side. "Oh, kitten." Minerva knelt down beside her student and placed a gentle hand on her cheek, tracing the girl's jaw line with her thumb. "Miss Wyte, you need to wake up."

Annabelle began to stir and subconsciously reached for Minerva's hand. After a moment, she realized it was simply her teacher, not the wonderful figure from her dreams. This woman was here to punish her for being up late, not to take care of her. She dropped the hand and her gaze. "Sorry, Professor. I didn't mean to fall asleep." Yawning, Annabelle stood up on shaky legs and glanced around them. They appeared to be alone and Annabelle feared the inevitable blow.

However, Minerva noticed her student's reserve and lifted her chin again. "You should go to bed. Your detention will be moved to tomorrow immediately following your flying lesson with Madame Hooch. Now, can you make it to Gryffindor common room by yourself, or shall I walk you?"

Annabelle shrugged noncommittally. "I'll be fine, I guess." She turned away from Minerva's hand and began to slowly make her way to Gryffindor common room.

"Actually, I don't want you to be caught out of bed past curfew. I'll walk you to your dormitory." The elder witch caught up with Annabelle and barely refrained from wrapping an arm around her. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Minerva decided they could begin their discussion now. "Miss Wyte, why does Miss Weasley have a black eye? She refused to tell me how it happened, only that you were involved."

Again, the younger witch shrugged. "We were fooling around. People get hurt." Annabelle hated lying to her teacher, but there was no way that she could possibly tell her teacher. What would he do if he found out?

"Miss Wyte, I doubt you were simply fooling around. However, I do not expect you to tell me what exactly you were doing. It is late, so I'll let you be."

Annabelle was uncomfortable with the silence that fell over them again. The only sound that could be heard was that of their footsteps on the ground as they made their way up another staircase. "What are you going to do to me if I don't tell you?"

Minerva pondered her question for a moment. What could she do to the girl? "Since it's your first offence, I see no reason to punish you beyond tomorrow. You will spend your time writing lines under my supervision." She nodded her head, feeling that was sufficient punishment for being out of bed late. Of course, Minerva also knew she was lying, but she hoped that Annabelle would learn to trust her on her own time. Plus, was it really any of Minerva's business anyway?

"So, I need to be at your office shortly after 9:30, then?"

"Yes. Have Ro…Madame Hooch send word if you're going to be late." Now, they had made it back to the common room and Minerva cleared her throat and spoke. "Flibbertigibbet." She glanced toward Annabelle as she slipped inside and began her journey up the stairs. Once she was well out of hearing range Minerva sighed and leaned on the doorframe. "Goodnight, kitten."


	15. Pitching Proposals

So, I was working on this chapter last night, and I was sitting across the kitchen table from my father and I realize he has his phone out. He's reading something, right? After a moment, I realize he's reading Chapter 14 while I'm writing Chapter 15. I got a nice little chuckle out of that, and though you all might too! Anyway, here's Chapter 15. Lots of Minerva & Rolanda. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or his world. It's all J.K.'s.

Annabelle woke up early the next morning and decided to pop in the shower before any of the other girls woke up. She slipped in the shower and let the warm water flow over her skin. Her bruises were all faded and the only thing marring her skin was the occasional scar. There was one on her right shoulder where her father had carelessly thrown her into a mirror. It had shattered and cut her back in many places. A larger piece had cut her right shoulder deep enough to require stitches, but had never fully healed.

Her other notable scar was actually from her mother. After one too many glasses of wine, her mother had gone off on a tangent, throwing things in every direction. A wine bottle had crashed to the floor and Annabelle had been ordered to clean up the mess. Her mother ignored her tears as the pieces of the bottle dug into her shin. It never would have scarred had her mother taken her in to get it taken care of. Instead, Annabelle attempted to nurse it back to health. It had gotten infected and only persisted to get worse. When it did finally heal, it left a jagged scar in its wake.

Annabelle curled her toes and watched as the scar flexed under the water. She could wear short sleeves now if she wanted.

She finished washing her body and hair and stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around her thin figure. She quickly got dressed in a pair of lightweight jeans and a black tee-shirt, slipping her wand into her back pocket. After getting dressed, she stepped back into the dormitory and pulled her Gryffindor scarf out of her trunk. She tied it loosely around her neck and then grabbed her cloak off of the post of her bed. Rolling her eyes at Ginny's light snores, Annabelle decided she'd wake up the red-head.

She gently shook Ginny and chuckled as the red-head groaned. "Wha' d'ya wan'?"

"Ginny…If we're both going to make the Quidditch team next year, we need to go down to our flying lesson. Madame Hooch will murder us if we're late, therefore we need to get to breakfast on time. We all know that you have to eat before you fly."

At the mention of Quidditch, Ginny shot out of bed and began stripping out of her pajamas. She quickly replaced them with an outfit achingly similar to Annabelle's, with the main difference being the color of their tee-shirts. Ginny's was a pale yellow, which offset the gold highlights in her flaming hair, as well as her toffee colored eyes.

"Alright, I'm ready. I just hope Ronald hasn't headed down yet. He could eat the whole feast if he wanted to." Ginny gave a hearty chuckle, in which Annabelle reciprocated.

The pair made their way down to the Great Hall and sat down together. The twins settled on either side of them and began filling their own plates.

"We heard you got detention-" said Fred.

"With McGonagall." –George.

"Real bad luck, mate." –Fred.

"Except. We couldn't…" George shoved a bite of food in his mouth as Fred took over.

"Be happier. Percy the pinhead is peeved." –Fred.

"Ginny's best friend has detention."

"With our head of house!" Cackling, they both began eating again as Annabelle's face turned crimson.

How had people heard about her detention? She sunk lower in her seat and finished her meal as quick as she could before turning to Ginny. "I'll, uh, meet you down at the Quidditch Pitch." With that, she hopped up from the table and quickly made her way outside. She spotted a couple other first years meandering down that way, but she decided to hang back and make her way down by herself.

Arriving at the pitch, she saw about twenty brooms lying on the ground. She noticed that some kids were moving to stand by brooms, so she found two on the edge and began 'guarding' those. It was their second flying lesson, and this time they'd be given more freedom to actually experiment in their flying. Annabelle had been looking forward to this since their first flying lesson and now she was growing giddy with excitement.

Their spiky haired instructor stood off to the side with her hands on her hips. She was observing each student as they walked onto the pitch and soon her eyes found the pair of Gryffindor girls coming together. They had picked the brooms on the far left side of the pitch and were now whispering together. The red-head was obviously a Weasley, but Rolanda couldn't place the other's lineage.

Noticing that class should have started almost five minutes ago, Rolanda stepped out onto the pitch and, once again, surveyed her students. "Alright, step up to a broom and place your right hand over it. You know the drill! What are you waiting for?"

Immediately, every student stood beside a broom and placed their hand over it, commanding it to come 'up.' A few students had an automatic success, and mounted their brooms right away. They were instructed not to go far or very high until everyone had mounted their brooms. Ginny had achieved hers on the first try, but Annabelle took another attempt to get her broom to respond.

Once they had both mounted their brooms, they flew in circles around one another until they were both growing dizzy. Rolanda had let the class explore their abilities and was now watching a few students intently. Ginny and Annabelle agreed that she was searching for talent and the pair decided they'd try and show off.

They flew so that they were barely hovering over the ground and then quickly took off, spinning in circles around each other as they flew toward the opposite side of the pitch. Ginny was obviously much more skilled than Annabelle was and easily took control of their maneuver. Occasionally, the blonde would begin to struggle and Ginny would slow their movements to let Annabelle regain her composure.

Eventually, they raced back to the ground, but Ginny missed her landing and ended up rolling along the ground, only to land at Madame Hooch's feet. She grinned cheekily at the elder witch and pushed herself off the ground. "Your class is dismissed, Miss Weasley. Let your friend know as well. I dismissed class ten minutes ago, but the two of you seemed to be having entirely too much fun, so I let you be."

However, Ginny knew that Annabelle was past due to be at McGonagall's office and waved Annabelle over while keeping Madame Hooch from walking away. "Wait! Madame Hooch, Annabelle was supposed to serve detention with McGonagall after practice. She can't be late!"

Annabelle raced over, noticing that the pitch was nearly empty and frowned. This didn't look good. She glanced between the two witches and realized what was going on. "Madame Hooch, Professor McGonagall asked me to have you send word if I would be late. I really can't be late without a good reason. She'll have my head."

Rolanda chuckled at the younger witch. "Miss Wyte, yes?" At the blonde's nod, the flight instructor simply grabbed her wand and conjured a piece of parchment and a quill. Taking the quill, she jotted a note on the paper and folded it up. "I'd recommend hurrying. Even with a note, Minerva can be rather impatient." She smiled at the younger witch and turned away to put the brooms up.

Ginny and Annabelle sprinted for the large oak doors. Upon reaching them, they said their goodbye's and Ginny ran off to find Matilda and Bethany.

Annabelle made her way up to the fifth floor and trudged down the hallway. Finally, she reached the door to Professor McGonagall's office, took a deep breath, and knocked twice.

Minerva set the essay she was currently marking to the side and glanced toward the clock. She realized that if Annabelle didn't have a note, then she'd have to punish her more. This was not how she wanted to spend her Saturday. She sighed and folded her hands on her desk. "Enter."

Annabelle slowly opened the door and took a step inside. She reached behind her and carefully pulled the door shut. She bowed her head and slowly approached the desk, holding the note out for Minerva to see.

Minerva took the note from her pupil's hand and instructed her to sit down in the chair across from her. She then opened the note.

_Minnie,_

_Don't be too hard on the girl. She and the Weasley girl stayed at my lesson a little late. It was my fault. I didn't tell the pair to go inside because they were simply doing so well. I'm thinking future chasers, or the pair could be beaters. Miss Wyte's a little small for a beater, but I'm sure we could bulk her up. Anyway, I'll see you tonight for dinner with Poppy and Pomona._

_-Ro_

Minerva couldn't stop a grin from spreading across her face as she set the piece of parchment on her desk. Leave it to Rolanda to be scouting talent for Gryffindor on their second flying lesson. Of course, Minerva didn't have any room to talk there. She had, after all, been the one to spot Harry Potter catching the Remembrall during his _first_ flying lesson, which resulted in him immediately becoming part of the House team.

Realizing that she still had a student in her office, Minerva cleared her throat. "Your tardiness shall be excused. Madame Hooch had a sufficient explanation for your being late. Now, we're going to start on some lines." She gestured to the parchment, quill, and ink pot laid out for her.

Annabelle surveyed the items and look up at her instructor. "What will I be writing, Professor?"

Minerva gave a sad smile. "You will be writing two sets of alternating lines. You will write, 'I will not break curfew,' and 'I will not lie.' You will write each sentence one hundred times before you can go. I expect that will be sufficient punishment. However, you may not use magic to assist you."

Annabelle accepted her fate and began writing her lines. After writing each about thirty times, her hand began to ache painfully from all the writing. Still, she pushed on, but eventually took a break after she'd finished fifty of each. She glanced at the old clock, and realized that twenty-five minutes had already gone by. Sighing, she stretched her hand and began writing again. Now, she didn't bother counting and simply continued to write.

Minerva found that she was comforted by the silence that had long since settled between them. She smiled as she imagined many afternoons like this, except without the punishment. She rather enjoyed the child's company. Unlike many students, she hadn't complained about the lines. Also, it was rare for Minerva to find herself relaxing around a student, and now she was kicking herself for doing just that!

Annabelle wrote the line 'I will not lie' and was moving on to her next line when a golden text appeared below her hand. It read, 'Stop.' Annabelle grinned, even though she was still in detention.

_I love magic._

Annabelle twisted the lid on the ink pot and placed the quill back on the desk. She looked over her lines and found that she was satisfied by her handwriting. She hadn't rushed it, so her script was neatly scrawled across the entirety of the parchment without being difficult to read. "I'm finished, Professor."

Minerva looked up, over her square spectacles and met the child's twinkling green eyes. She had to fight a smile upon seeing the girl's expression. There was no way that Minerva would doubt if Annabelle had truly finished. "Well, you're welcome to leave then, or you can sit and watch an old witch grade papers." She meant it as a joke, but couldn't deny that she'd been secretly hopeful that her student would agree.

Annabelle glanced around the room, taking in the many book shelves, but also remembering that she was supposed to meet Ginny for lunch. "Uh, perhaps another time, Professor." She grinned at the professor and got up. Upon reaching the door, she turned around. "Have a good day, Professor."

Minerva returned the child's smile. "I will, Miss Wyte. Now, go on. I expect Miss Weasley and yourself need to devise more Quidditch tactics, yes?" Seeing the child's confused expression, Minerva continued. "Madame Hooch expects you'll both make marvelous Quidditch players. Now, go." She shooed the student out the door and finally let herself relax again.

Minerva moved to close her door when a shoe blocked the door's way. Noticing the footwear, Minerva guessed it could only be one person. No one, but the flying coach wore Quidditch shoes all the time. Even the students took breaks from those shoes. Sighing, she opened the door and went to sit down behind her desk again.

Rolanda didn't need any further invitation. She sauntered into the room, not bothering to shut the door behind her.

Minerva noticed this and simply flicked her wrist to make it close itself. This action was met by a childlike giggle. "Minnie, you know I do that just to bother you, right?" The silver-haired witch sprawled across the chair across from Minerva. "It's good to see you smile, Min."

Minerva raised an eyebrow at the younger witch as she attempted to control her facial expression. "I'm not smiling, Ro."

Rolanda rolled her eyes and pulled out her wand. "Accio mirror." A handheld mirror flew from across the room and settled into Rolanda's hand. She immediately held it up to Minerva's face and pointed to a pair of barely-visible dimples. Rolanda chuckled at Minerva's immediate frown. "I haven't seen those in years, Min. She's good for you." With that, Ro placed the mirror on the desk and sat down. "We're still going to Hogsmeade for dinner, yes?"

Minerva sighed and shook her head at Ro's musings. "As long as we aren't going to Madam Puddifoot's again, yes. How on earth did you convince us to go there last time? Surely, you had me under the Imperius Curse." Minerva chuckled.

"It's Pomona's turn to decide anyway. She picked The Three Broomsticks." Rolanda rolled her eyes. "At least we had fun at Puddifoot's."

Minerva rolled her eyes and stood up. "Don't you have something you should go supervise somewhere?" The professor chuckled and stretched. She wasn't _really_ kicking Rolanda out, but she did need to go down to lunch.

Rolanda snorted. "You know my schedule better than I do, Min." Rolanda glanced toward the clock and grinned. "However, we both ought to head down to the Great Hall for lunch. Albus will have my hide if I keep you from eating!" Rolanda laughed and skipped to the door.

Minerva quickly joined the younger witch and simply shook her head as Ro wrapped an arm around her waist. "So, what will it take to get you back on a broom?" Minerva refused to answer. They'd been arguing the topic for years. "If Gryffindor wins the Quidditch cup, you don't have to. Otherwise, you're getting back on a broom." Ro grinned happily at her own idea.

Minerva knew that she had finally lost this battle and simply nodded. "When Gryffindor wins, you will never ask me to get on a broom again."

Rolanda rolled her eyes. "Yea, sure. When's the last time that Gryffindor won the House Cup?"

Minerva glowered at her long-time friend. "They'll win it this year. They're more prepared, and much more talented." Minerva grinned and separated herself from Rolanda as they neared the Great Hall. Pushing open the doors, they went their own ways.


	16. Let the Wizards Hit the Floor

Thanks Kokotheevilone for favoriting!

By the way, for any of you who actually pay attention to the chapter titles...I'm sorry! I was thinking about what I should name it, and that song immediately came to my head, so I simply replaced "Bodies" with "Wizards."

Disclaimer: I don't own what J.K. owns.

Ginny and Annabelle made their way down to the Great Hall on the crisp, cold morning of December 7th. Sitting down at the long table, they, once again, noticed Colin's absence. Things were a lot quieter without Colin, but everyone was really beginning to miss him. He'd been in the infirmary for almost a month now, and the culprit had not been caught.

Ginny was getting more and more uptight about the whole situation. It was rare for Ginny to go to bed before any of the other girls, but she often locked herself in their rooms, not talking to anyone for hours. It was beginning to worry Annabelle, but she hadn't said anything about it yet. She wanted to wait until after the holidays.

Minerva was making her way down Gryffindor table, taking names of students who were staying over the break. She finally reached them and looked between them, smiling tensely. "Miss Weasley, your brothers already informed me that you'll be staying. I'm going to guess you will be too, Miss Wyte?"

Annabelle shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. "No, ma'am. My parents wrote me. They want me to come home." Annabelle attempted a smile, but it was even more forced than Minerva's. She was terrified to go home.

Minerva raised an eyebrow for a moment before regaining control of her facial expression. "Alright. Do they know to pick you up at King's Cross on the 21st?"

"Yes, ma'am. I informed them after I got their letter. They also know that the Hogwarts Express will bring me back on the 3rd."

Minerva forced herself to continue walking down the table, ignoring the wrenching feeling in her gut that told her to keep the girl from going home. It wasn't her place to stop her though.

* * *

Annabelle and Ginny were preparing to head downstairs to go to the Dueling Club that Lockhart was putting on. Neither girl expected much good to come from it, but they also both wanted to learn to duel. Upon arrival, they sniggered at Lockhart's gaudy appearance and made jokes about him making Snape his assistant.

Soon though, Lockhart was moving toward them to pair people up. He spotted the pair of them standing side by side and gave them an inquisitive look. "Miss Weasley, Miss Wyte, you two can be a pair if you'll concentrate."

The pair nodded and turned to face one another, wands raised. They waited for the countdown to finish before swinging their wands above their head and simultaneously crying, "Expelliarmus!"

The spells connected in midair and they fought for control for a minute before both spells just backfired and hit the caster. Both girls flew backwards and landed hard with an "oomph." They stood again prepared to cast when Lockhart was heard above the crowd.

"I think I'd better teach you how to _block_ unfriendly spells. Let's have a volunteer pair – Longbottom and Finch-Fletchey, how about you –"

Snape interrupted him, claiming that Neville would cause devastation with the simplest of spells. Poor Neville turned red at this and stepped back into the throng of students, fading into the crowd. "How about Malfoy and Potter?" Snape looked too pleased for his own good.

"Excellent idea!" said Lockhart as he gestured for Malfoy and Harry to move into the middle of the hall. Lockhart then showed Harry a fancy wand movement which ended in him simply dropping his wand.

Snape, on the other hand, was whispering in Malfoy's ear, and Malfoy was still smirking when Snape walked away and the countdown began.

Annabelle watched in awe as a snake spouted from the end of Malfoy's wand, but that awe turned to horror as the snake slithered over to Justin Finch-Fletchey. However, Harry Potter jumped forward and starts hissing at the snake! It immediately began to shrink back and Professor Snape made it disappear, but everyone was frightened.

Everyone began to disband and Ginny and Annabelle sprinted for the common room. They didn't want to be caught in the rush, so they were trying to beat it.

When they got back to the common room, everything was in the beginnings of chaos. Students were preparing to go home for the holidays and were frantically buzzing about the common room. Some kids were playing games, such as Wizarding Chess or Exploding Snap. Others were doing homework in corners, attempting to get all of their homework done before last day of term.

Annabelle and Ginny raced upstairs and collected their Transfigurations and Charms books. Annabelle wanted to revise both essays and Ginny was halfway done with both. The red-head had a bad habit of starting an assignment, but not finishing it unless Annabelle reminded her.

They made their way back downstairs and settled in close to the fire. Annabelle ended up completely rewriting her Transfiguration essay twice before deciding that it was suitable to be turned in. By the time she finished, Ginny had already moved on to play a game of chess with Bethany and was beating the poor brunette into the ground. Annabelle supposed Ginny was just good at chess and other tactic-based games because she has six older brothers to deal with. She has to be logical to get anything past them.

Eventually, Annabelle told Ginny that she was going to bed because they had Charms the next morning, even if the second years didn't have Herbology.

Annabelle trudged up the stairs and pulled on a pair of warm pajamas and curled up in bed, with her wand safely under her pillow. Ginny roamed into the room minutes later, yawning as she changed into her bed clothes. Both girls quickly fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning, both girls sat in Charms, working on their latest spells. Annabelle had slowly gotten ahead in the past few weeks and was now attempting to make the tip of her wand glow like a flashlight. After a few failed attempts, Annabelle shook her wand venomously. She gave her wand a hearty swish and firmly spoke, "Lumos!" Finally, the tip of her wand erupted in a pale blue light and Annabelle grinned as she held it up a little higher.

Professor Flitwick made his way over to Annabelle and nodded his approval. "Very good, Miss Wyte. Now perform the counter-spell."He showed her the wand movement and carefully pronounced, "Nox."

Again, it took Annabelle a few tries, but eventually she performed the spell correctly. She repeated both spells a few more times before the end of class when they were dismissed. Ginny and Annabelle began to make their way up to Transfiguration when Astoria Greengrass ran up to them.

"Justin Finch-Fletchey and Nearly Headless Nick were just Petrified. Daphne just came down and told me! Apparently, it was Potter again!" Astoria was excited to share the news her sister had told, even if she seemed slightly downhearted, but she didn't catch Ginny's look of utter horror.

Annabelle noticed though, and pulled Ginny to the side at the first given opportunity. "We'll meet you in class, Astoria." She pulled Ginny into an empty classroom and gave her a searching look. "You know something, don't you?"

Ginny went still, as if she'd been Petrified, for a moment before shaking her head vigorously. "I'm just scared. You're a muggle-born. Hermione's a muggle-born. We're friends with other muggle-borns too. That's all."

Annabelle nodded, accepting her answer, even if she didn't completely believe it. Then, it hit her. She was a muggle-born witch. She was a target. Annabelle visibly paled and her whole body began to shake. Why did she have to be a stupid witch?

Ginny enveloped her distressed friend in a hug, whispering, "I won't let it get you. It won't get you." After a few moments of standing like that, they realized they were supposed to be going up to Transfiguration and so they sprinted in that direction. They barely made it in time and were immediately thankful that Astoria had saved them seats in the front of the room, much to the disapproval of most the other Slytherins.

Minerva came into class a few minutes later and collected their essays. Their lesson was extremely tense as Minerva appeared to be stressed and bothered by the morning's events. Eventually, Minerva just sat down at her desk and let them practice their spells until the end of class without her input. She was busy marking papers, including their own, but often found her gaze drifting to a blonde in the front row. This was the second student to be attacked, but this also brought the tally up to four beings. It was the first double attack and Minerva couldn't help but fear what was to come.

Both she and Albus feared that if these attacks weren't stopped soon, then history would repeat itself. Another child would be murdered. Minerva couldn't help but fear who it might end up being. Her eyes scanned over the class again, catching sight of each muggle-born witch or wizard. There were only three others in this class, and none of them tugged at her heart as much as the blonde witch in the front row.

Minerva wanted to steal her away and place her at McGonagall Manor until all of this stopped, but she knew that was an impossible feat as the girl would be leaving this coming Monday. Minerva's only consolation was that the girl would be far away from Hogwarts for the duration of the holidays, and that kept her safer. At least, that's what Minerva kept telling herself. Soon enough, the class period ended and the rest of the day went without any further conflict.

The weekend passed by without incident and Minerva found herself preparing to walk students down to Hogsmeade station to go home for the holidays. With the attacks, only a handful of students were staying home, so all teachers were required to escort the students down.

Minerva tearfully watched as Annabelle and Ginny said their goodbyes, as if it would be the last time they ever saw each other. Minerva couldn't help but be afraid that it might be. It wouldn't surprise her if there were muggle-borns whose parents wouldn't let them come back after the break. It wasn't safe at Hogwarts any longer.


	17. A Purple Penalty

Thank you AryaElf & Kokotheevilone for reviewing. :) Also, thanks to AryaElf for story alerting. Enjoy!

Alright time for a good ole *disclaimer*- I'm not J.K. Rowling, and therefore, I don't own Harry Potter.

Annabelle's ride home went smoothly, and soon enough the Hogwarts Express was pulling in to Kings Cross Station. Due to the fact that Annabelle didn't have a witch, wizard, or elf going home with her, she couldn't make her suitcase lightweight or smaller this time so she hefted it down from above her seat and dodged it as it came flying her way.

Picking up the heavy trunk, Annabelle followed the other students off the train. She tried not to look at any of the reuniting families, as she knew it would simply upset her further. She grabbed Sylvanna from the train conductor and continued on her way. However, her gaze caught sight of a waving figure to her left and she couldn't help but look.

Astoria Greengrass stood with her parents and elder sister, looking completely content as she waved to her friend. Annabelle waved back, but quickly looked away as she continued to walk towards the exit.

Finally, she reached the barrier and passed through it without a problem. On the other side, she immediately caught sight of her parents and grinned. They looked better than passable. They looked lovely. She practically ran toward them and wrapped her arms around her mother. The elder woman simply stood there, not reciprocating the hug in the slightest. Then, Annabelle barely heard a whisper, "What are you doing? Get off of me!"

Annabelle quickly backed away and hung her head. She couldn't deny that a small part of her had hoped, and even believed, that things had changed. She thought that going to Hogwarts would make them miss her. It would make them want to see her, but apparently not.

She stared at the pair's feet until they began to move away, and she quickly followed suit. She ran her finger tips across the end of her wand and sighed. She couldn't even use magic while she was gone, of course unless it was life or death, but her father had never pushed her that far.

Her father opened the trunk of the car and finally really looked at his daughter. Her hair was longer, and glossier, like her mother's used to be. Though she had her head down, she seemed to be standing a little taller, a little more confident.

As he took the bulky trunk out of her hands, he noticed the cat. "What the hell is that?" As he finally addressed it, the cat arched her back, bared her fangs, and hissed. Her ears were flat against her head and her tail was flicking back and forth in a very defensive manner.

Annabelle ran the toe of her boot across the ground and shrugged her shoulders, reaching out to pet Sylvanna. "She's a kneazle." She scratched the cat behind her ears and smiled as she stopped hissing. She still looked extremely defensive, but at least she wasn't being vocal about it. "A kneazle is a magic breed of cats. Well, really they're not a breed of cats. They're a species all on their own. Her name is Sylvanna." Annabelle realized she'd been rambling and quickly cut off her explanation with the cat's name.

Mr. Wyte snorted. "A magic cat, right? Is that supposed to scare me?" He tossed her trunk in the back of the vehicle and reached out for the crate. Sylvanna began hissing again and picked up a paw, ready to swing. Mr. Wyte retracted his hand and glared down at his daughter. "Put her in the back." He then stomped toward the front of the vehicle, opened his door to get in, and slammed it shut behind him.

Annabelle did as she was told and carefully placed Sylvia in the back, nestled up against her trunk. She then walked around the side of the vehicle and got in, strapping her seat belt around her body as she did.

Her father quickly pulled out from the station and they began the long drive home. Her father appeared to be drinking still, so Annabelle closed her eyes, and tried to imagine she was elsewhere. The first place that came to mind was the Quidditch pitch, and as the car moved under her, she imagined it was simply her broom. She pictured zigzagging through the air with Ginny, passing a Quaffle back and forth. She could almost see them holding the Quidditch Cup, but then her visualizations were interrupted.

"What did they teach you at this freak school?" It was her mother, being as kind and elegant as ever.

Annabelle shrugged and fingered her wand again. "Simple spells and theories. Professor Lockhart and Professor Snape tried to teach us how to duel." She paused for a moment, picturing Hermione in a headlock. "That didn't go very well, though."

Her father chortled and took another swig of his whiskey. "Of course it didn't go well. I told you that you wouldn't be any good at that stuff. I'm surprised they haven't already called to have us bring you home." His statement disappeared as he continued to laugh, not caring that she looked absolutely devastated.

Hogwarts was becoming her home. Surely, they'd always want her, right? They'd never try and send her home, right? She felt the tears stinging her eyes and quickly wiped at them. She wouldn't let him see her cry. She was stronger than that.

The ride continued in silence, or small talk between her parents. They barely even acknowledged she was there. To them, she was simply a way to get their food with the snap of their fingers. To them, she was their version of magic.

Once home though, her father tossed her suitcase onto the lawn and began to pick up Sylvanna's crate. However, her paw slipped through the cracks and raked across his skin. As he pulled back, his hand was bleeding and oozing a strange, purple puss.

Annabelle's mouth hung open, gaping at the sight before her. She had never seen that happen before. Soon, his hand was larger than its normal size and his wife was hyperventilating. Annabelle edged toward the trunk and slowly picked it up. She brought it inside and dropped it off in her room. She then made her way back downstairs and saw that her father's hand was still oozing and bleeding. It appeared to be back to its normal size, but it was now covered in the purple liquid.

She moved toward the back of the car and reached toward the cat crate, hushing Sylvanna as she did so. "It's just me, Sylvia. Let me take you upstairs." She grabbed the cage's handle and hefted it up and out of the car. The kneazle immediately fell silent but continued to glare at her father.

By now, Mr. Wyte was in shock at the whole encounter. His hand had never oozed purple before, but he was beginning to wonder if it was the effects of the alcohol fooling his body. Shrugging, he followed his daughter into the house and found that his wife followed after quickly shutting the trunk of the car. He kept close behind his daughter until she reached her room. She moved to let the cat out of the cage, but he cleared his throat noisily. "Not happening. The fleabag stays in the crate. The freak stays in its room. Those are the rules of this house." He grinned maliciously and leaned against the doorframe. "You're under my roof again, Anna. It's time to play by my rules." Backing out of the room, he shut the door, laughing at how he could so easily strike fear into her.

Annabelle's eyes overflowed with her tears. Why had she agreed to come home? She moved back over to Sylvanna and placed a hand over the lock, whispering, "I'll open it, but you have to stay inside. He's right. I have to follow his rules while I'm here. I'm sorry."

Sylvanna seemed to nod as she moved to lie down and Annabelle quickly unlocked the cage and pulled open the door. Immediately, she began to pet the cat, giving her fur a sleek appearance. "I'm sorry he almost threw you, too. I don't understand how you did it, but you stopped him really well." Her hand paused and she gripped the fur tighter. "I can't ever stop him."

Sylvanna gave a low growl in the direction of the door before turning back to Annabelle. Seeing her companion's tear-stricken face, she stood up and gently rubbed against the human's skin, purring lovingly.

Annabelle laid a loving kiss on Sylvanna's head before moving over to the bed and sprawling out across it. It'd been a long day, and it was already past time for her to be in bed.


	18. A Price To Pay

khaoula McGamoura, I think you'll particularly enjoy the end of this one. It has what you asked for...

Anyway, Disclaimer! I don't own Harry Potter :'(

Annabelle hadn't gotten any food the first two days of being back home, and when she finally did, it was obviously dinner scraps. The food looked barely suitable for a dog, not a growing child. Annabelle ate it anyway, and she'd been eating the same since then.

It was harder now because she was used to eating all she wanted at Hogwarts. Her body had actually begun to fill out while at school. She had muscles forming from playing Quidditch and fat had begun to grow over her ribs. Looking in the mirror, she could already see the beginnings of the effects of being home.

Annabelle had been home for a week and a half now, and Christmas had long since come and gone. That was the one day where her food was more than marginal scraps. Her mother had brought a whole plate of food up and told her that was all she was getting for Christmas, and that if she looked ungrateful, that her father would take care of her.

Annabelle couldn't have been more grateful, but she'd still gotten a visit from her father later that night. He'd decided that, since she was home, she'd entertain him. She had gotten out her flute and begun to play, but it wasn't as good as normal. She hadn't practiced much since arriving at Hogwarts, and so her skills were a little rusty.

The following day, the pair took a trip to a metal shop where they melted the flute down. Annabelle hadn't controlled her tears and now had to pay the price for crying. Every day since then, her father had set a time aside in his 'busy schedule' to come pay her a visit and teach her what happens when people cry. Annabelle was sure there wasn't a spot on her whole body that wasn't bruised. She felt she could hardly move, and she wanted out. She wanted out so bad, but she had no way of leaving.

She didn't have an owl to contact anybody, and she couldn't perform magic outside of school. It was almost time for him to come back, and she wasn't ready. She was too close to tears already today. If he saw her crying, it would only last longer. She moved to lock Sylvanna's crate, much to the cat's displeasure.

The first day he had come in to 'teach her a lesson,' Sylvanna had disobeyed Annabelle and leapt out to attack him. However, on Annabelle's tearful orders, she backed off. Since then, Annabelle had made sure to lock her crate before he came. Now, she sat on her bed, waiting for the inevitable to come.

At quarter after four, her father stumbled into the room, obviously intoxicated. He shut the door behind him and scanned the room. His eyes passed right over Annabelle for a moment, but then they snapped back and a cheesy, sour grin covered his face. "So, Anna, have we learned our lesson?"

The witch simply nodded, and focused her gaze on the quilt below her.

"I can't hear you, freak." He sneered and took a step in her direction, almost losing his balance in the process.

"Yes, sir. I learned my lesson." She mumbled, but refused to look up at the inebriated man.

"Let's test that." Grabbing a handful of blonde hair, Mr. Wyte tossed his daughter to the ground. He chuckled when he heard her head hit the corner of the desk, but hadn't expected to see the amount of blood that oozed from her head and covered the floor. His thoughts jumbled as the blood continued to soak the carpet and the cat began to mewl noisily. This was becoming too much.

Miranda was going to kill him. Looking down, he began to think straight again. Surely, a girl her size could easily fall, hit her head, and die, right? He stalked out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

Annabelle let out a sob as the door shut. Her entire being hurt. She tried to crawl into a sitting position, but only managed to lean against the desk. She tiredly reached up and grabbed the crate, pulling it down and onto her lap. "Sylv'ya, we need out." She fumbled with the lock, but after a minute, she managed to unlock it and pull open the door.

The witch was growing more light-headed by the second and now her vision was growing cloudy. Sylvia stood with her nose practically touching Annabelle's and she seemed to be saying something. Annabelle knew they needed help, and there was only one person who came to mind, but she couldn't reach them. Another sob shook her body and her vision faded to a dull black for a few moments.

She was awoken by a rough tongue cascading over her skin and she pushed Sylvia away. "Not now…." Her voice was nothing but a groan now and she curled in around herself, needing the warmth. Then the image of a little elf came to mind. Would Lindy still answer her even if she was far away? "Lindy?"

Lindy jerked her head away from Mistress and her ears shot up, roving like satellites. She could have sworn she heard Little Miss call, but it was probably just her imagination. She turned back to Mistress and finished pouring her a cup of tea. "Sorry, Mistress. Lindy was distracted."

Minerva simply smiled and reached out to the house elf. "That's not a problem, Lindy. You know that." She and Albus were lounging in the study, both of them reading and drinking tea. Minerva had needed to relax after everything that had happened so far this year. Between the Chamber of Secrets and now her star pupil growing a tail and fur, Minerva didn't know what to do! She had not been happy when Poppy informed her of that little mishap. The worst part was the fact that Miss Granger was still in the hospital wing and wouldn't tell them how it happened! She said it was an accident!

Forcing herself to calm down, she looked toward Lindy again and noticed her faraway expression. It was as if she was trying to hear something that wasn't there. Before Minerva had a chance to ask, Lindy disapparated with a 'pop.'

Annabelle gave a shy smile when she saw the elf appear in front of her. "You heard me…" Her voice trailed off in the end as she was growing constantly weaker. She couldn't seem to concentrate as the elf began to buzz around her, asking questions that Annabelle couldn't really make sense of. Finally, she looked up when she heard a 'pop' and groaned when she realized that the elf was gone.

Lindy reappeared in the study, looking horrified. "Mistress! Little Miss needs help!"

Minerva looked up from her book and her eyes grew wide with shock upon hearing Lindy's exclamation. Annabelle needed help? "Is Litt…er Miss Wyte injured?"

The elf simply nodded her head vigorously as she asked, "May Lindy bring Little Miss here?"

"Y-Yes. Bring her here." Minerva couldn't help a stutter. Annabelle was hurt, and it was all her fault. She should have stopped the girl from going home. She could have stopped this from happening. She never should have let her go home.

Once again, her thoughts were cut off by a light touch from Albus. "Tabby, it's not your fault. What you need to do now, is help the girl. I'm sure that Lindy won't take long to bring her back."

Lindy reappeared in the witch's bedroom and bent over her figure. "Little Miss!" She didn't respond, so Lindy tried lightly shaking her arm. "Little Miss!"

This time, Annabelle's eyes fluttered open. "Lindy.."

The little elf nodded vigorously. "Lindy takes Little Miss to Mistress and Master. They can help Little Miss."

Annabelle pulled Sylvanna to her chest. "Alright." She felt the elf grab her arm and soon she felt the familiar pull of apparition. Just as quickly as it started, it finished as she landed on a couch beside her Transfiguration professor. That was the last thing she had seen before she passed out.

Now, Minerva stood over her student, performing a few spells to check her over while Albus floo'ed Poppy. Minerva knew that it was a job for the mediwitch the moment she'd seen the blood. She'd already poured a tiny bit of dittany over the wound, but head injuries needed special treatment, not just immediately healing. This was certainly not how Minerva planned to spend her New Year's Eve!

Albus walked back into the room with Poppy at his side. "Minnie, what's-" The mediwitch cut off short upon seeing the blonde witch. This was worse than Albus had said. Poppy practically flew over to the pair of witches and immediately began a few diagnostic spells. "Minnie, she's covered in injuries. It's not just her head." The mediwitch was whispering because she didn't think she could reign in her temper if she got any louder. Whoever had done this to the child would pay. "Minerva, I need her in the hospital wing. My supplies are all in there."

Minerva moved in between the mediwitch and her student. "No. She stays here." There was a certain fire in Minerva's eyes that told Poppy and Albus that there would be no arguing that point. They'd have to go through her to get the younger witch out.

Poppy conceded and looked between Albus and Minerva. "Levitate her to the nearest bed and place a cold, damp cloth to her head injury. I'll be right back." The mediwitch turned on her heel and floo'ed back to the infirmary. She grabbed a bag off a nearby shelf and grabbed a couple potions off her desk, sticking them inside. After a split-second of consideration, she grabbed more of each and floo'ed back to Minerva's quarters. If the Transfiguration professor had anything to do with it, Miss Wyte would never see the inside of the hospital wing!

Walking into the private quarters, Poppy quickly made her way back to the guest bedroom, where she knew Minerva would have the younger witch. "Out of my way!" She dodged both adults and stood beside the bed. She pulled a sickly looking green potion out of her bag and carefully poured it down Annabelle's throat. Then, she pointed her wand at Annabelle's injury and spoke, "Vulnera Sanetur." The injury appeared to close itself most the way and the mediwitch nodded her approval.

Still pointing her wand at Annabelle's head, she said another spell, "Tergeo." This one simply washed the blood away from her scalp and hair, but also from her clothing as Poppy directed her wand toward every speck of blood she could see. Now that her patient was stable, she turned on Minerva. "How on earth did this happen? I thought this witch was going home!" Then a thought crossed her mind as she continued to point a long, thin finger at the witch. "Don't tell me those muggles did this to her. Minerva, they will pay for this."

Minerva let her friend rant and then nodded, clenching her teeth tight. "Yes, Poppy, they will. First, however, we need to get her healed. That's my first priority, but believe me: the muggles will pay for this." The fire in Minerva's eyes only intensified as she spoke about Mr. & Mrs. Wyte. "They will pay."


	19. Anger and Agony

Also, it's my lovely Kayla's fault that I didn't get this done by the time I wanted to! She did two things to stop me. 1. She came and visited me for the whoooole day. (Yay!) 2. _She _wanted to write with me, which means I was writing on a separate story and not on this...sorry! Hahaha...I blame her! 3 Love you, woman.

Alrighty! Thanks go to AryaElf, Juliefan1, DuchessofWords, and a Guest for reviewing. I love reviews, so big, huge super thanks! Also, thanks to DuchessofWords & kljrxx08 for favoriting or story alerting. Please continue to let me know what you guys think. Feedback and comments are always welcome, as are suggestions. I'm totally cool with incorporating other people's ideas, so just let me know!

Anyway... I'm not J.K. Rowling and I don't own any of her wonderful creation of Hogwarts, Harry Potter, or the lovely, fantastic, amazing Minerva McGonagall. (Or anything else she created!)

Minerva wouldn't leave Annabelle's bedside for more than a moment's time. She'd convinced Poppy and Albus to continue with their plans. The pair would meet Pomona, Filius, and Rolanda for drinks and a celebration of the upcoming New Year. Minerva had to promise to send word if something changed with Annabelle.

An hour ago, she'd walked into the study to retrieve her book. Her mind was beginning to get the better of her, and she needed to stop letting it wander aimlessly. She could only imagine torturing Mr & Mrs. Wyte so many times without actually apparating away and doing so. Chuckling, she set her book down in her lap. She was doing it again. Dittany could be a dangerous tool when used for torture. A malicious smile formed on her lips, imagining the couple's suffering.

The same smile faded away as an abnormal sound met her ears. Looking around, she realized it had been Annabelle. The child whimpered in her sleep and began to jerk her head back and forth, pain clear in her face.

Minerva reached out to the child and laid a hand lightly on her arm. "Annabelle, lass, you're alright. I'm here, dear. You're alright." Her hand carefully tightened over the girl's cold flesh as she felt the beginnings of goose bumps.

Annabelle flinched away from her touch as her eyes shot open. She didn't understand where she was. Why did her head hurt so badly? Groaning, she slowly lifted her hand to cradle her head, but changed directions halfway and reached under her pillow for her wand. Eyes widening in fear, they landed back on the professor. She tried to talk, but found that her lips weren't functioning correctly. Her fear only grew at this revelation, but began to settle again as she noticed Sylvanna purring at her feet.

Identical green eyes connected with each other and Annabelle half-heartedly reached out for the kneazle. The cat was immediately at her side, nuzzling her face and arms repeatedly. Eventually, it settled on her stomach and looked pointedly at Minerva.

Though Minerva couldn't physically understand the cat, she caught the message loud and clear. Leaning in closer to Annabelle, she cleared her throat, effectively catching the girl's attention. "Annabelle, you are in my private quarters. You sustained a rather nasty head injury and are now recovering from it. It shouldn't last more than a day or two, and then you will be free to roam the castle, but until then, you'll have to stay put." Leaning back, she noticed the girl was shivering again. "Annabelle, do you mind if I cast a warming spell on you?"

Annabelle moved to shake her head, but a sharp pain shot through her whole body and she cried out in pain. Slowly, the agony subsided and she lay back, whimpering softly. Voice croaking in effort, she whispered, "No."

Seeing her student in pain agonized Minerva, but she tried to ignore her own troubles in exchange for her patient's. She took the simple response as meaning that she could perform the spell and quickly pulled out her wand. "Calefactio."

Annabelle's skin flushed a healthy, pink color and she let out a deep sigh. "Thanks…" She rolled her eyes to the side and took in her professor's disheveled appearance. She found herself staring at the raven hair, now falling out of a sloppy-looking bun. A grin split her lips. "You're….h-hair." A careless grin settled on her face and her body visibly relaxed as Minerva began to smile.

"Thank you, Belle. I could fix your hair like this if you wish." Minerva cautiously reached out and took a stand of yellow hair and twirled it between her fingers.

Annabelle met Minerva's hand with her own after a quick fumble. She took hold of it, carefully shaking her head and squeezing the hand as the pain rang out through her body again. " 'M Not pretty."

Minerva simply frowned and ran her other hand through Annabelle's golden locks. "I think you're very pretty, Miss Wyte. Anyone who says differently can deal with me." And they surely would. Minerva doubted that idea had simply popped into Miss Wyte's head. It was planted by someone, and Minerva would find out whom and deal with them in her own ways.

Annabelle's eyes had filled with tears and she didn't even thinking about possibly wiping them away. One hand was safely within Minerva's, and the other was still under her pillow. As time had slowly passed, Annabelle began to recall what had happened and that meant her wand was still under her pillow at home. Then a thought occurred to Annabelle. "Do I haff to go back?" It was the first real sentence she had said since waking up, and it was more than full of emotion. She couldn't go back.

Minerva's heart sank at the child's question. Did she have to go back? There was no way Minerva was letting her go back, but how could she keep her away from there? Eventually, they'd have to get the Wizengamot involved if they wanted to change custody. Would Albus be okay taking the girl in? Maybe it would be best if she ended up being adopted by someone else, no matter how much Minerva cared about her. Suddenly, Minerva realized she hadn't answered the girl's question, even though that was the one thing Minerva knew for sure. "No. You will never have to go back there again, Annabelle. Lindy has already collected your belongings and brought them back here."

Annabelle let out a sob, unknowingly beginning the mourning of her childhood. She was losing everything she'd ever known and she had no clue what would happen now. Who would take her in? She couldn't survive on her own, but who would want to take care of an abandoned witch? Would she be all alone again?

Minerva's grip on her hand loosened as the girl's tears grew. She knew she wouldn't be able to handle this situation alone, so she pulled out her wand again and cast a patronous and sent the cat on a mission to find the quartet in Hogsmeade and tell them to come home straight away. She needed help.

After sending the cat on its way, Minerva turned back to the younger witch beside her and resumed her hold on the child's hand. "Annabelle, you're okay now. I'm here, lass. You're _safe_." She smothered down the child's hair and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "You're safe, Belle. I promise, you're safe."

At first, she feared that the blonde witch hadn't heard her, but soon, Annabelle gave her hand a slight pulse, and Minerva knew that she'd understood. She would be kept safe with Minerva. However, it wasn't long before the pair heard footsteps coming their way.

Minerva positioned herself between Annabelle and the door, wand ready. One hand still held tightly to Annabelle's, but she was ready to defend her if the need were to arise, as well. No one was getting to this cub again. No one was hurting her.

The door opened and in walked Albus, Rolanda, Poppy, and Pomona. All four adults were dressed for a night out and certainly not for a confrontation with a student. Of course, this wasn't just any student. This was a student who'd just been rescued and taken in by Minerva, so she was special.

Her gaze landed on Poppy, who was staring at Annabelle inquisitively. "She didn't just wake up, Minerva. She's been up for awhile and you didn't tell us." The medi-witch gave Minerva a hearty glare before making her way to Annabelle's other side. She cast a few diagnostic spells over her body and smiled lightly at the results. "Minnie, have her take another one of the green potions. It's not going to taste well, though. After that, she needs the maximum rest possible. This means we're taking you out of here. Plus, we have things we need to discuss," She lowered her voice so that Annabelle couldn't hear her. "That little ears shouldn't necessarily hear." Smiling, Poppy shooed everyone else out of the room.

"Alright, lass. I need you to swallow some of this potion for me. It will help with your headache and help your head heal faster too. Then, I'll be right outside the door. Throw something, or call me or Lindy if you need anything." After a moment's hesitation she summoned the green potion and added. "Believe me when I say I'll hear you. Animagus ears help that." She tipped the potion and winced at Annabelle's grimace. The potion looked and smelled horrible. Surely, it tasted even worse.

Standing up, she walked to the door and slowly exited it, coming face to face with her four best friends. "What do you want?"


	20. Preliminary Discussions

Thanks to AryaElf, Kokotheevilone, and DuchhessofWords for reviewing. I love hearing back from all my readers, so thanks! Also, thanks DuchessofWords, siriuslygoode, AryaElf, DeathDealer100, and kljrx08 for story alerting or favoriting! Oh, warning...there's like no Annabelle in this one... sorry!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter/etc. I'm not J.K. Rowling.

Minerva crossed her arms over her chest, giving each adult an inquisitive look in turn. What could be so important that they had to pull her away from Annabelle? Albus was the one who finally stepped forward and spoke, "Tabby, I think it's probably best if we sit down and discuss the condition of Miss Wyte and what's going to be happening now that she's out of her parents' care."

Minerva knew he was being logical, but she'd rather stay with Annabelle, especially since she was actually awake. She shook her head. "We can discuss it later, but right now, Annabelle needs me in there with her. She's scared. For Merlin's sake, I need to be in there with her!" She turned back to open the door, but a small, cold hand landed on her shoulder.

"Minnie, she'll be asleep by now. Her potion helps to heal her body, but it's also a sleeping drought. She won't be up for at least a few hours. We need to discuss this now." Poppy smiled as the transfiguration professor turned around. "Plus, if we're lucky and let her sleep, she might wake up in time for the New Year. Wouldn't you like to spend the New Year with her, Min?"

Finally, Minerva saw reason and resigned herself to her fate. They weren't going to let her get away without talking about this. She actually had to be honest with these people. She loved them and they loved her. Sighing resolutely, she directed everyone toward the connected den. She sat down in an armchair and placed her elbows on her knees so she could lean on her palms while kneading her temples. "I told her she doesn't have to go back." She almost sounded defeated, but there was still a tiny spark of hope in her voice. For some reason, she believed these people would discourage her ministrations with the child, but she was wrong.

Pomona was the first to respond as she kneeled in front of Minerva. "Min, what do you plan on doing about her custody? We," She gestured to the three other adults in the room. "don't see any reason for her to go back…In fact, we've decided that if you won't adopt her, either Filius and I will, or we're calling the Weasleys." Minerva just noticed that the short, Charms professor was missing. She supposed he had other business to attend to.

Poppy didn't have time to speak before Rolanda got in the way. She leapt up over the arm of the chair and hugged Minerva from behind. "Minnie, I ask you in all complete seriousness: can I teach her to be a professional Quidditch player? She and Ginerva will be a sight on the field, and I swear I'll take good care of your cub _and_ your kitten." At the amused, yet slightly confused looks from all other adults in the room, Ro shrugged. "We all know she's going to adopt Miss Wyte. The only bet in place is how long it will take her to realize that she's adopting the child. Now, anyway, I get to be godmother, right? You know, I'll settle for being an aunt." Rolanda's slightly childish side was beginning to show through, partially due to the couple of drinks she'd already had at the Three Broomsticks. Plus, if there was going to be an addition to her family, she was going to darn well be involved. She'd been mad enough when Poppy got pregnant without telling any of them. Now, she was going to be involved long before anything like that occurred.

Albus sat across from Minerva, looking more than slightly bemused. "Tabby, what do you think? This is your decision. You and I both know that Fudge would never let both of us adopt her, even if we're married. He feels threatened by us, as is. We don't need him feeling threatened by Annabelle, so in the end, it's completely your decision. I'll support you either way. Though, I already told Filius that if they adopt her, she's getting a daily delivery of lemon drops from me. It'd be the least I can do." His blue eyes twinkled playfully under his half-moon spectacles as he continued to gaze at his overwhelmed wife.

"Ro's right, Albus." Rolanda began to gloat and Minerva cut her off. "About some things. I will write Cornelius in the morning and discuss An-Miss Wyte's case with him. My goal will be in the pursuit of adoption, however, I need to discuss this with Miss Wyte first. I won't adopt her if she doesn't want me to." Minerva had planned to continue her calm, cold explanation but was interrupted by a spiky haired witch.

"What a load of horse wallop, Minnie. Merlin! I thought you were smarter than this."

Minerva spun her head back to look at Rolanda. "Yes, because you certainly know everything, Rolanda. Now tell me something if you're so bright. Why would a brilliant young witch want to live with an old hag like me?" Now she directed her gaze at each witch and wizard in turn. "Can any of you tell me why?"

Silence consumed the room for a moment, in which Minerva feared that maybe her mind was right. Maybe there was no reason for Annabelle to want to be with her. However, Albus gave her a sad smile and leaned forward as he began to speak. "Minerva Marie Dumbledore McGonagall. Tell me something. Why is there a ring on your left hand?"

Minerva mumbled something incoherent about weddings and the Imperius curse, which made all three other witches chuckle. Albus, however, was serious for once. "What have you already done for the child?"

Minerva raised an eyebrow and awkwardly shrugged. It was an odd thing to see the professor do and Rolanda found herself snorting through her laughter. "Rolanda Hooch, would you grow up?" Though Minerva was slightly aggravated with the spiky-haired witch, she couldn't help but laugh at her snorts. They'd always broken through her composure, no matter how hard she fought it. This was, after all, the woman who had gotten Minerva to laugh the day of her father's funeral. Not even Albus had managed that feat.

"Minerva, you've rescued her twice now. She's already coming to rely on you. You told me how she clung to you during your trip to Diagon Alley. You've told me about a number of occasions where she's clung to you or reached out to you. Stop looking through blind eyes and see what's happening." He chuckled as an image flew through his ever-wandering mind. "Imagine the day she has to choose whether to keep the name McGonagall or go with her husband's name."

Minerva's lips split into a small smile, hoping that she'd keep her name before realizing… "Albus! The child is eleven years old! She's not getting married anytime soon if I have anything to do with it, and if you're right, then I darn well do!"

This is what Albus had been waiting for. She was growing defensive of the child again. This is what they'd been waiting for. She needed to see that not only did she want to protect the child, but that she was more than capable of it as well. "The next matter to discuss is what to do with Mr. & Mrs. Wyte then."

Vivid images of Minerva's earlier thoughts swam through her head in rapid succession, but she quickly shut them out. "If I'm going to gain custody of her legally, there will be a trial with the Wizengamot. If that's the case, then I suggest we simply let the Wizengamot decide what needs to be done with the couple. If I had my way, they wouldn't see the light of day for years, and I'm sure you can all imagine what their time would entail." Now, she stood up and walked into the kitchen, finding that she was quickly followed by all three witches and her husband. They didn't seem to trust that she wasn't going to apparate away and viciously murder Annabelle's parents. The thing was, if she didn't have to worry about Annabelle getting into her custody safely, she would certainly go do that right now. She could easily be back by the time the blonde witch woke up if she left now, and that would leave plenty of time to arrive home before midnight as well.

Minerva set about making tea for the six inhabitants of her quarters when another thought occurred to her. Someone did need to go inform her parents that their daughter was alive. She poured a cup of tea for herself and tightly curled her hands around the mug. "Poppy, Rolanda, how skilled are you guys at immobilizing me if necessary?" She didn't want to take Albus because she wanted to be the one doing any of the intimidating necessary. This was her cub on the line, and not his.

The pair of witches shared a worried glance before Ro simply shrugged. "I bet I can still take you, Minnie. However, I'd recommend handing over your wand."

Minerva's hand instinctively twitched toward her wand and she gave a resolute, slightly embarrassed, smile. "You're right. I suggest we head that direction after finishing our tea."

Poppy and Rolanda nodded and poured themselves a cup of tea before Poppy also poured one for Albus and Pomona. She levitated them over to the others in turn and smiled. "Albus, we'll keep her in check, but she needs to do this."

Pomona nodded her agreement. "I wouldn't be much help while gone, so I'll stay here and keep watch over the kitten. I may not be a certified medi-witch, but I'm certainly more skilled at this sort of thing than Gilderoy Lockhart!"

Everyone except for Poppy began to laugh, but the medi-witch simply shook her head. "I'm telling you. Potter should have been brought straight to me. I can mend bones in a heartbeat, but growing them back…." She trailed off and sighed. "I trust her in your care while we go pay the Wytes a visit." She cleaned and put the mug away with a couple flicks of her wand. "I'm ready when the two of you are."

Minerva immediately set her cup down and glanced to Rolanda who was fiddling with her wand. "Ro, I suggest we apparate nearby and walk the rest of the way there. First though," She waved her wand at both witches and grinned as their party clothes transfigured into muggle dress suits. Rolanda was outfitted in grey slacks and jacket with a deep plum blouse with matching heels, while Poppy wore a white pencil skirt and jacket with a blue blouse under it with a set of white heels.

Now that Minerva was pleased with their outfitting, she waved her wand in front of herself and grinned as her robes turned into a suit resembling Rolanda's and her hair pulled itself back into a tight bun. Her slacks and jacket were black though, and her blouse was a crimson color, eerily close to that of blood, which also matched her flats. Finally satisfied that the trio looked professional she covered her eyes and stuck her wand out. "One of you better take it and don't tell me who it is." A hand snatched the wand, and Minerva waited a few seconds before opening her eyes.

Rolanda and Poppy stood in front of her, ready to link respective arms with hers. The professor chuckled and stepped in between them. "She lives on the west side of Dundee. One of you better do the directing for this apparation. I am not getting splinched."

Rolanda and Poppy caught one another's eye and next thing Minerva knew, she was being pulled by side-along apparation. They landed in a deserted alleyway, which Minerva soon realized was mere blocks from the Wyte residence. She took the initiative and began to lead the way, feeling her anger bubble with every step. Their magic seemed to crackle in the air, responding to each other's intense emotions.

The Wyte residence quickly came into view and adrenaline began to course through Minerva's veins. She told herself to stay calm, but simply seeing the house was driving her crazy. They finally reached the front door and the three separated themselves, Poppy and Rolanda each taking a half a step back to let Minerva in front. The professor cleared her throat and knocked three times.

They waited outside for almost five minutes before the door was open by a petite blonde woman holding a beer in one hand, leaning against the doorframe. "What do – oh…you're that woman who came and told Anna that she's a freak, right?" Mrs. Wyte rolled her eyes and gestured inside. "She's asleep. It's late." Her voice seemed very clipped, and Minerva wouldn't have believed it even if she was unaware of where Annabelle was.

Minerva grinned sweetly and took a step forward so that she was almost standing inside the house. "I daresay she is asleep, but she's not here. She is at my quarters with a rather significant injury, no thanks to you." Her hands began to ball into fists and she felt Rolanda and Poppy practically standing on top of her, each with a hand brushing her arms. "I look forward to seeing you in court because you will never see her again if I win. Consider this a preliminary warning that you will be served." Before Minerva let her temper get the best of her, she grinned again and took a step back. "Good day, Mrs. Wyte and Happy New Year."


	21. The Word

Thank you dsrtchck (twice!), Kokotheevilone, Guest (thanks by the way. I kinda just throw the dialogue in how I would say it or how I imagine it being said. I'm glad it works well), DuchessofWords, & AryaElf for reviewing! I've gotten so many reviews today and I'm psyched. I love you guys! Haha... Also, thank you Readergirl99 & dsrtchck for either adding me to their favorites or story alerts. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or this world...

Upon reaching Minerva's quarters, Poppy pulled the brunette's wand out of her pocket and handed it over. "Thank you, Poppy." The trio made their way past the den and glanced around the study before realizing that the pair was probably sitting with Annabelle. Pomona sat in Minerva's vacated seat, reading a book that appeared to be on exotic underwater plants. Minerva gave a light chuckle and conjured three more chairs. Two landed by Pomona, but the third landed on the other side of the bed, practically touching the bed.

She walked around the other side of the bed to sit down and immediately grabbed her cub's hands in her own, lightly running her thumb over the soft skin. Taking a good look at the child's hands, Minerva frowned and lifted them to her lips to kiss them lightly. Even her hands were bruised by those monsters.

They sat in silence for awhile with Minerva's eyes firmly locked on Annabelle's. She would know the moment the child opened her eyes, and soon enough, she did.

Annabelle's eyes slowly fluttered open and she scanned the room, hands trying to ball into fists, but being stopped by Minerva's. Her eyes landed on each adult in turn before finally settling on the witch beside her. "You came back..." The child smiled as tears slowly began to leak from her eyes again. There was no use fighting it right now. She knew she didn't stand a chance.

Minerva lightly squeezed Annabelle's hands, trying to be careful of her bruises. "Yes, lass, I did. I'm here for you now." She let that thought linger in the air, not feeling the need to say anymore, but after a few moments, their silence was interrupted.

Albus cleared his throat and took a step toward the pair. "Tabby, I think you should mention your proposal to her now. We need to find out what she wants."

Minerva rounded on her husband, eyes blazing as she stepped in between the two people she cared about most in this life. "It can't wait until morning, _dearest_. I believe _tonight_ we are celebrating the New Year's arrival." She looked toward the other witches in the room. "Am I right?"

Albus sighed, knowing it was a losing battle before he even began to fight. "Yes, Tabby. What do you women say I go get some drinks and lemon drops for us? Midnight is quickly approaching!" With that, he turned around and merrily walked towards the door, humming softly to himself.

"Minnie, your husband is the strangest man I've ever met." She chuckled and looked towards Annabelle. "Miss Wyte, how are you ever going to stand living with him?" Not noticing her mistake, Ro continued laughing as the other witches openly stared at her.

"Professor, what's going on?" Annabelle still wasn't feeling like her normal self, but that didn't stop her from being curious.

Minerva sighed, shooting daggers at Rolanda with her eyes. If looks could kill… "Annabelle, I think it's best if you start off with calling me Minerva in private. I want to talk to you about something rather important."

Annabelle quirked an eyebrow but slowly nodded her head, wincing at the pain this movement caused. "Alright, Minerva." She removed her hand from Minerva's for a moment, gesturing for her to continue, before letting it fall back into her mentor's hand.

"I was going to wait until morning to discuss your current predicament with you, but I suppose now's as good a time as any to get it out of the way." Minerva took a deep breath, steeling herself from the rejection she feared. "The thing is, we need to discuss where you're going to be living now since you can't go back to your parents."

Annabelle slowly took her hand away from Minerva's as she tried to sit up. The witch was going to send her away already. She'd end up in some foster home somewhere and not be able to go to Hogwarts. She'd end up far away from Ginny and they'd never see each other again. It wasn't the Chamber of Secrets that scared her now. It was the inevitable unknown future.

Minerva automatically reached out to her student and helped her move into a comfortable sitting position. Her muscles seemed to be responding poorly after the potion. She glanced over to Poppy, who was just watching in amusement before mouthing, 'She shouldn't be able to move, yet.' The medi-witch smiled at Minerva, knowing the elder witch would be proud of her determined pupil. "You have many options, and your opinion does matter in this case. There are many wizarding families or couples who would be happy to adopt you. In fact, we already have three prospective families in mind. Two of these couples are professors here at the school, but one is not. Does either option bother you?" If the child was against living with a professor, then there's no way it would work out. This questioning gave Minerva an opportunity to find out her options without totally getting her hopes up.

Annabelle shrugged, not knowing who the couples were she meant. Surely, she wasn't talking about herself, right? She seemed to stern and cold to want to be a parent. It would throw her off, make her go crazy, or something insane like that. "Either's fine."

Minerva swallowed her fear and pushed on, aware that the room's other inhabitants were sitting on the edges of their seat. "Well, the two couples here at Hogwarts would be Professors Sprout and Flitwick or," She took another deep breath and closed her eyes. "Professor Dumbledore and myself."

Annabelle's heart leapt into her throat. What if she was joking? What if she was just doing this to get her hopes up? Annabelle reached down and took her professor's hand in her own again. "You want me?" It was barely a whisper and Minerva felt her heart break once again. This girl was turning her to mush.

"If you'll let me, then yes." Minerva knew she was taking a leap with her next comment, but took it anyway. "Belle, I've wanted to adopt you since I met you. All you have to do is say the word."

Annabelle nodded her head, acknowledging what her professor had said. All she had to do was say the word. _The word! The word! _ Her mind was doing summersaults on its own. Finally, Annabelle's face turned serious and she looked Minerva straight in the eye as she spoke, "The word."

All five witches in the room burst into fits of laughter. The tension was long gone as Albus sauntered into the room, levitating five glasses of fire whiskey and one butterbeer. He sent them each to their prospective owners and raised an eyebrow at the pealing laughter still coming from Rolanda who was now doubled over in her seat. "Did someone hit Rolanda with a tickling jinx?"

That did it for everyone else in the room. The laughter began again and Albus stood in the doorway at a loss for words. Walking over to Pomona, he leaned down and whispered, "I take it things went well, then?"

All the plump witch could do was nod as she attempted to regain her composure. Finally, she grinned and playfully spat out, "She's yours, you old coot."

Albus grinned, slowly walking over to Minerva with that mischievous twinkle in his eyes. He crooked a finger at her, signaling her to stand up and the moment she did, he picked her up and spun her around before planting a kiss firmly on her lips. Turning to Annabelle, his smile grew exponentially. "Welcome to the family kiddo."

Sitting back down, Minerva picked up Annabelle's hand again and recast a warming spell over her. "You need to tell me when you get cold, Annabelle." The child's first name was rolling off her tongue now, as if that was the only thing she'd ever called her.

Annabelle looked sheepishly between the adults and was about to respond to Minerva when Rolanda jumped out of her seat, running from person to person as she slammed their glasses together. "Happy New Year!"

Everyone took a hearty drink of their glasses, and for a moment, the room was consumed by a comfortable silence. Soon enough though, Annabelle broke it with a noisy yawn.

Minerva grinned at her young charge: her soon-to-be daughter. "How about we get you to bed, Mi-Annabelle? We can talk about everything tomorrow when we're all wide awake."

Collective murmurs of agreement were heard across the room and the three witches began to get up, taking all of the glasses with them. Poppy ran one last diagnostic test before leaving, but first telling Minerva to have her take one of the blue potions. On her way out, she whispered, "It's a dreamless sleep drought."

Rolanda was the only witch who lingered longer than necessary, looking almost nervous as she glanced between the two witches. "Minnie?"

Minerva raised an eyebrow, hands on hips, as she stood up. "Does this need to be taken to another room, Rolanda?"

The spiky-haired witch shrugged. "I was just wondering if the promise you made me almost forty years ago was still valid. Am I still your child's aunt?"

Minerva chuckled as she noticed Rolanda's discomfort. "If Annabelle can tolerate having you as an aunt, then yes." She glanced toward Annabelle who seemed to slowly be nodding off. "We can discuss this further tomorrow though." She guided Rolanda out of the room, watching as she floo'ed away.

Minutes later, she came back to make sure Annabelle was ready for bed, only to see the child thoroughly passed out. "Goodnight, mo chroi."

* * *

Mo chroi=my heart :)


	22. Frozen Figures

Thanks Kokotheevilone for reviewing! By the way, when you reach it, the italics are thoughts.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

The rest of break went smoothly and Annabelle moved back into Gryffindor Tower the night before term was due to start up again, much to Minerva's dismay. She had hoped that her cub would come stay in her quarters, but Annabelle obviously wasn't ready for that and she didn't need anyone putting extra pressure on her.

Now, it had been practically five months and things were on a steady routine that Minerva feared would only be thrown off course once the summer had come. Annabelle joined Minerva for tea twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. For the most part, they kept a professional distance, but Minerva took advantage of every moment they had in private. She hated the weeks that Annabelle didn't have time to stop by between classes and chat for a spare moment.

Minerva had already served the Wytes, but they were still awaiting the actual trial. Fudge seemed resistant to push her case through, but agreed to at least serve the Wytes if Albus' name was completely taken off of her paperwork. She would be solely Minerva's once the case went through and Minerva couldn't wait to be able to call her 'Miss McGonagall' in class. She couldn't help the grin that stole its way onto her features just thinking about her _daughter_.

Glancing at her grandmother clock, she realized that Annabelle was running late for tea. She probably got caught up in the library. This was the first Quidditch match she had missed, but she was beginning to grow anxious with exams quickly approaching. Minerva decided she'd go check on her daughter and began to make her way downstairs to the fourth floor.

At the bottom of the stairs, Minerva was met with a sight that shook her entire being. Miss Granger and Miss Clearwater, a Ravenclaw Prefect, were frozen, obviously petrified. Casting a patronous, she sent immediate word to Albus and Poppy before running over to the pair. The first thing that caught her eye was a pocket-sized mirror lying on the ground between them.

Minerva was about to levitate the pair when she caught sight of a familiar head of hair. Grinning despite the poor situation, Minerva decided to walk over to her daughter who was adamantly staring through the Library windows. "Annabelle, you're running late. That's unlike you." Minerva quirked an eyebrow. It was also strange for her not to respond when she was spoken to. Minerva moved to brush her hair off her shoulder, but found her hand stuck on solid golden locks.

_I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you sad. _

Minerva felt frozen as well and didn't even notice as her tears began to overflow. "I'm sorry, kitten." Why had this happened? What Petrified her without seeming to change her expression. She seemed happy. She seemed alive if you could ignore how cold she felt and that she wasn't breathing. Minerva didn't hear Poppy come up behind her either. She didn't know anyone was there until a hand grasped her wrist, along with a sigh of relief.

_Please stop crying. It's not your fault, Minerva. It was the eyes. I saw something move in the window, and so I looked closer. _

Minnie turned around and came face to face with the petite mediwitch and let herself crumple. "Poppy, what are we going to do? I can't lose her." Her tears were a continual stream accompanied by the occasional sobbing hiccup.

Poppy knew that Minerva was hurting right now, but she also knew that Potter and Weasley needed to be informed of their Petrified friend. "Minnie, I understand that you're scared and upset and probably angry too, but the Quidditch game needs stopped. Potter and Weasley need to be informed of what's going on."

Minerva knew she was right, but she didn't think she could pull herself away from Annabelle. Crying, she turned around and enveloped her daughter in a bone-crushing hug.

_Oww, be careful. I can still feel, you know, even if you can't hear me._

Minerva placed a kiss on the girl's forehead and turned back to Poppy. "You _will_ take care of her, Poppy. I will go down to the Quidditch Pitch and get the boys and Miss Weasley if I can find her, but I _will_ be back. Merlin, you don't want to know what I will do to you if something further happens to her." With that, an enraged Minerva stormed away. The only thing keeping her standing was that rage, and she was going to keep it that way until she could let herself fully unravel.

Reaching the Quidditch Pitch with a purple megaphone in her left hand, she noticed that her Gryffindors were mounting their brooms, ready to face Hufflepuff. She lifted the megaphone to her mouth, calling out, "This match has been cancelled." She ignored the shouting and boos she received from the entire stadium and the students in front of her. "All students are to make their way back to the House common rooms, where their Heads of Houses will give them further information. As quickly as you can, please!" Removing the megaphone from her lips, she beckoned Harry to her. "Potter, I think you'd better come with me…"

She began to scan the crowd for red hair and noticed the youngest Weasleys removing themselves from the crowd. Ronald immediately ran over, but Ginny stopped halfway to them. Minerva sighed and gave a small, sad smile before crooking a finger at her. She led the trio up to the infirmary and stopped short outside. "This will be a bit of a shock, but there has been another attack…a _triple_ attack this time."

Harry and Ron rushed over to Hermione, quickly followed by Ginerva, but the youngest Weasley stopped short as her eyes caught side of a head of blonde hair. The red-head let out a wailing screech as she flung herself at the bed, "Belle! Oh, Merlin, I'm sorry." She banged her fists on the bed, ignoring Poppy Pomfrey's disapproving scolds. After a few minutes, her tears simply cascaded down her face and she no longer seemed to have the energy to fight. She curled up beside Annabelle and had a hand resting on her arm, whispering, "I'm sorry," over and over again.

_Ginny. Stop it! It's not your fault. I know you'd never hurt me. Stop it, Ginny. You're scaring me. Stop it._

Minerva asked the boys about the mirror before turning back to Ginny. "Miss Weasley, I need you to calm down. Now!" Her stern, loud tone brought Ginny out of her trance-like behavior. "I will escort you back to Gryffindor Tower. I need to address the students in any case." She waited for the trio to turn their backs before she blew a kiss to her daughter and whispering, "I'll be back."

_I know, Minerva, but I think our secret's out. The others can hear you too, I'm sure. If only you could hear me speaking to you! I want to tell you what happened. I want you to stop crying. Please come back quickly. I missed you when you left, but don't worry. Aunt Poppy took good care of me while you were gone. She wanted me to tell you that._

Minerva took one last glance at her Petrified daughter before stalking out of the infirmary and directing her cubs back to Gryffindor Tower. Once there, she gathered all the Gryffindors in the common room and conjured a parchment out of thin air. Lifting it up, she addressed all of her cubs and read off the list of new rules. "All students will return to their House common rooms by six o'clock in the evening. No student is to leave the dormitories after that time. You will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No student is to use the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher. All further Quidditch training and matches are to be postponed. There will be no more evening activities." She rolled up the parchment and swallowed her pain before continuing in a choked voice. "I need hardly add that I have rarely been so distressed. It is likely that the school will be closed unless the culprit behind these attacks is caught. I would urge anyone who thinks they might know anything about them to come forward."

Deciding that her duties were finished in the common room, Minerva climbed out of the portrait hole and made her way to the infirmary. She was met outside by a weary Albus who immediately wrapped her in a hug as her tears began to flow again. "I can't do this, Albus. I can't lose her." Her grief was overwhelming and she wanted to curl up and cry.

Albus just smoothed her hair down in gentle strokes as he rubbed circles on her back with the other hand. "I know, Tabby. We'll figure this out. I promise." He slowly led her into the infirmary again.

Rolanda Hooch was already sitting on the edge of Annabelle's bed, tears in her own eyes as she looked at her beautiful niece. After a moment, she caught sight of Minerva. "I came as soon as the Quidditch equipment was put away. I'm so sorry, Minnie." She wrapped her long-time friend in a hug and let her cry. "I know, Minnie. I know."

_What you don't know is that I can hear you. I can see you. I can feel you, but you can't hear me. This feels pointless. You're all crying, but Aunt Pomona said that the Mandrakes will be ready soon. I don't see her in here crying her eyes out just because I'm all frozen. _Annabelle was growing sarcastic as the day wore on. It was hard not being heard.

Minerva let all of the day's pent up tears fall on the shoulder of her best friend. Albus had his own worries at the moment, with Cornelius suspecting that Hagrid was the Heir of Slytherin. He didn't need to worry about her right now. He needed to worry about the school, and finding out who did this to their daughter! Minerva slowly released Rolanda and looked toward her daughter with a burning determination in her eyes again.


	23. Mandrakes and Missions

Disclaimer:I don't own Harry Potter. I'm not J.K. Rowling.

However, that fire slowly faded away as days turned into weeks without Albus. The same night Hagrid was taken to Azkaban, Albus was also removed from his position as Headmaster. This meant that Minerva had to take his place, and it was wearing her down. Obviously, she had people there for her, but her family seemed to be disappearing around her.

She made her way down to breakfast where she was practically tackled by Pomona Sprout who seemed giddier than a first year on Halloween. "Minnie! The Mandrakes are ready to be cut. Everyone should be un-Petrified by tomorrow morning at the latest!"

Minerva was stood still in shock, ignoring the stares they were slowly gaining. "You mean, my Belle…My kitten's going to be okay?" She couldn't do anything but whisper now as her anticipation reached its maximum. Pomona simply nodded and embraced the once-stern professor again.

After regaining her composure, Minerva McGonagall walked to the middle of the head table and called for everyone's attention. "I have good news."However, the Great Hall immediately erupted in joyful yelling and squeals from every direction. After a few moments, the students quieted down to hear what their Headmistress had to say. "Professor Sprout has informed me that the Mandrakes are ready for cutting at last. Tonight, we will be able to revive those people who have been Petrified. I need hardly remind you all that one of them may well be able to tell us who, or what, attacked them. I am hopeful that this dreadful year will end with our catching the culprit." With that, Minerva began to walk away from the cheering and commotion, knowing she was needed more in the infirmary with her daughter.

However, a certain red-headed girl sat down beside Ron and Harry, wringing her hands together as she tried to decide what to say.

"What's up?" Ron said as he helped himself to more porridge.

The girl didn't say anything, but glanced back and forth, down Gryffindor table, looking terrified, as if she'd seen the Slytherin's monster.

Ron was growing annoyed as he watched her. "Spit it out."

Still wringing her hands, Ginny mumbled, "I've got to tell you something."

"What is it?" said Harry.

"_What_?" said Ron.

Ginny opened her mouth and tried to tell them, but no sound came out. She felt like her tongue was tied in knots that only grew tighter as Harry leaned forward.

"Is it something about the Chamber of Secrets? Have you seen something? Someone acting oddly?"

Ginny took a deep shuddering breath, and opened her mouth to speak when Percy Weasley walked up. "If you've finished eating, I'll take that seat, Ginny. I'm starving, I've only just come off patrol duty."

Immediately, Ginny jumped up and fled the Great Hall, heading to her first class.

Minerva was still roaming the halls, not able to convince herself to go see her frozen daughter. She seemed so lifeless, so broken. She decided she'd go after her first class because she had a free period afterwards.

After her class, she began heading toward the infirmary when she caught sight of two second years. "Potter! Weasley! What are you doing here?"

Ronald began to stammer and Harry eventually finished his statement, saying they were going to visit Hermione because they hadn't seen her in ages. Minerva gave a sad smile and nodded resolutely. "Of course. Of course, I realize this has all been hardest on the friends of those who have been…I quite understand. Yes, Potter, of course you may visit Miss Granger. I will inform Professor Binns where you've gone. Tell Madam Pomfrey I have given my permission." With that, she turned away from the boys, not wanting to let them see her tears. She had been honest when she said that she understood. It was so hard seeing the blank faces staring up at you without recognition or any sign of life.

Minerva made her way downstairs and told Professor Binns that Potter and Weasley were in the hospital wing, visiting a friend. She barely got a response from the professor before he continued to drone on about their daily history lesson. They really needed a livelier professor to take his place one of these days.

Again, she paced the halls for a short time before coming across another message right below the first. All the blood seemed to fade from her body as she began walking toward the staff room, magically magnifying her voice. "All students to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staff room. Immediately, please." A flurry of students rushed past her, each one making their way to their respective dormitories.

After what seemed like forever, Minerva reached the staff room and found most of the staff, if not all of them, already there. She took her place at the front of the room and frowned as the room grew eerily silent. "It has happened. A student has been taken by the monster. Right into the Chamber itself." Controlling her emotions became harder as she saw her colleagues beginning to fall apart.

Even Severus seemed distressed as he asked, "How can you be sure?"

"The Heir of Slytherin left another message right underneath the first one: Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever."

Madam Hooch spoke up this time as she sunk into a chair, not able to stand any longer. "Who is it? Which student?"

Minerva cleared her throat as she gripped her wand tighter. "Ginny Weasley."

A collective gasp was voiced throughout the room, and Minerva let a few tears cascade down her cheeks before she began to speak again. "We shall have to send all the students home tomorrow. This is the end of Hogwarts. Dumbledore always said…"

The staffroom door swung open, revealing a beaming Lockhart who was foolish enough to say, "So sorry – dozed off – what have I missed?"

Most of the professors in the room were sneering at him, but it was Snape who stepped forward, "Just the man, the very man. A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Taken into the Chamber of Secrets itself. Your moment has come at last."

Other instructors began to chip in, telling stories of the many times he gloated about his knowledge and power. Finally, Minerva decided to end the discussion as she lifted her hands. "We'll leave it to you, then, Gilderoy. Tonight will be an excellent time to do it. We'll make sure everyone's out of your way. You'll be able to tackle the monster all by yourself. Your free reign at last." Soon enough, the man fled the rooms, claiming to be preparing himself. Minerva took a deep breath, flared her nostrils and forced herself to speak again. "Right, that's got him out from under our feet. The Heads of Houses should go and inform their students what has happened. Tell them the Hogwarts Express will take them home first thing tomorrow. Will the rest of you please make sure no students have been left outside their dormitories." She then went to address her cubs and patrolled the halls the rest of the day, making a stop every hour or so to check on her special cub: her kitten. Nothing changed though, and Minerva stopped after three times.


	24. Return To Me

Thanks to Riding-Lover-17 & taterbug0491 for adding this to their favorites or story alerts. Also, thank you Kokotheevilone, Big poi, & DuchessofWords for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter of any of Jo's work.

Minerva made her way back towards Gryffindor Tower. After the events of today, she was extremely paranoid that something else might happen to her cubs. Darkness had fallen over the castle and it was giving Minerva a strange feeling of dread. Even the portraits were silent tonight and each footfall sounded like an explosion to Minerva's ears. The castle was too quiet.

She finally made it to the portrait and spoke the password, "Leones vincere."Minerva had grown tired of the Fat Lady's obnoxious passwords, and put her foot down. Stepping through the portrait hole, she forced herself to believe that password. Her lions would overcome this. They would get past it.

Minerva entered the common room, ready for anything. However, the sight was a familiar one. Students were scattered throughout the room in their selective groups of friends. The noise was the problem. Silence seemed to consume the common room as well. Looking around, Minerva didn't spot a single Weasley.

Looking toward her female prefect, she quirked an eyebrow. "Have you seen any of the Weasley boys?"

The prefect shrugged her shoulders. "Well, Percy went up to bed hours ago. He won't let anyone come near him, and Fred and George said they were going up to bed a little while ago. I think they're all just upset about the little Weasley girl. It's Ginny, isn't it?" She purposely avoided mentioning the youngest Weasley boy. If Professor McGonagall found out about him and Potter leaving, she would punish everyone involved, including those who simply didn't stop them.

"Yes, it's Ginerva. Now, have you seen Ronald or Mr. Potter?" Minerva realized that the girl seemed to tense up at their names, but didn't answer either. This annoyed Minerva and she turned to the rest of the room. "Where are Potter and Weasley?" Her question was met with a series of mumbles and excuses, but nothing clear. "I need someone to tell me. Now." She felt as if she were slowly growing taller as she watched her students shrink back.

Finally, one sixth year stepped forward. "They left through the portrait hole a little while ago. They've only been gone about fifteen minutes, so we didn't see any reason to alert you." She shrugged and sat back down, immediately being surrounded by her friends again.

Minerva nodded, her eyes turning cold as she stared them down. "These boys are now in danger. I expect you all to consider what your actions, or lack of them, may have caused. I will be back when I have more news for you." With that, she turned around and left the way she'd come, heading toward her office.

Entering her office, she was immediately wrapped in a hug, but she couldn't believe it. It couldn't be him. He wasn't even allowed to be here, was he? She realized she was standing stiff, and let her body relax as she wrapped her arms around him. "Is it really you?" Her tears were threatening to overflow as she slowly tilted her chin to look up at him.

Albus simply smiled down at her, nodding his head. "The governors reinstated me after Ginerva was taken into the chamber. It seems they were threatened by one of their own, as well."

Minerva took advantage of his silence and kissed him, having missed spending her spare time with him. "Albus, it's been so hard without you." She laid her head on his shoulder and simply stood like that for a moment, basking in his warmth.

"I know, Tabby. I know, and I'm sorry. If I didn't have to, I wouldn't have left you alone." He placed a kiss in her hair and gave her a light squeeze.

Regaining her composure again, Minerva stepped back and gave him a hearty glare. "You are never leaving me like that again. I don't care what the _governors_ have to say about it. I don't care if Cornelius bloody Fudge wanted to remove you. It's not happening again!"

Her stern, teacher-like glare could even frighten Albus and he nodded. "I'll try, Tabby, but I can't promise anything."

Minerva glared at his, quickly losing her cool. "No. Damn it! You're not going to simply try, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. You're going to do it. Promise me you won't leave me again. Promise me you won't leave us." Her fire slowly cooled, but she still jabbed a finger at his chest, scowling as her eyes began to fill with tears. "We're becoming a family, Albus. We both have to be reliable constants for her. She needs to know you're solid."

Albus chuckled. "I'm sure she sees I'm solid, dear. The girl's depth perception is pretty good according to Rolanda. Did you know she's been sneaking Quidditch lessons with her for months?" Again, he gave a lighthearted chuckle at her bewildered expression. "Don't worry. Poppy's healed all her injuries."

The fire in her eyes was ablaze again, but this time it was lighter, calmer. "Ro and Poppy are in huge trouble. However, before you get all excited, you're in trouble too." Her smile slowly faded as she remembered the current state of the school. "Albus, we need to floo the Weasleys again. Ronald and Harry are missing as well. I believe they've gone into the Chamber." She pinched the bridge of her nose as she began to pace. "Should I go see them in person, or just call them?" Minerva knew, as Head of Gryffindor, it was her duty to inform the Weasleys of this change.

Albus moved to her desk, conjuring a bag of lemon drops as he sat down. He magically unwrapped one, but physically tossed it into his mouth as he began to talk around it. "I think Molly would take it better in person." He couldn't say the same for his wife though! The messenger would be in severe danger if they were telling her that Annabelle was missing. He had heard about the threat to Poppy when Annabelle was Petrified.

"You're right." Rubbing her temples, she took a hesitant step toward the fireplace. How do you tell a mother that two of her children and a boy she sees as a son are missing? How do you tell her that it's likely that none of them will make it back alive?

A small voice in the back of her head said one word: _Honestly_.

Minerva chuckled apprehensively. _Yes, be honest that her children will probably die before morning arrives. _She shook her head and took another halting step toward the floo. She wanted to stop, turn around and run to her own daughter and defend her from harm, but instead, she crossed the remaining distance to the floo and grabbed a handful of sparkly floo powder. Kneeling down, she braced herself against the bricks and threw the powder into the fire as she stuck her head into the fire and shouted, "The Burrow."

Almost immediately, her head began to spin and she kept her eyes shut tightly against the swirling bits of ash. Finally, everything stopped and she peeled open her eyes. In front of her was the Burrow's sitting room with Molly sitting in an armchair with tears running down her face as she attempted to knit. "Molly?"

The plump witch started and looked to the fireplace. "Oh, Minerva. Tell me you have news." She frowned as she began to inch her way closer to the fireplace.

Minerva gave a sad smile. "Would it be alright if I come in Molly?"

The motherly witch nodded her head and called out for her husband to join her before setting her eyes back on the fireplace. The professor's head disappeared, but was quickly replaced by the flames turning a brilliant green. As the flames continued to flicker, a sorrowful Minerva stepped out of the floo, dusting herself off before moving over to Mrs. Weasley, who was now joined by Arthur.

Minerva gave a tight smile and gestured to the couch. "I think it would be better if the two of you sit down. This might come across as a shock." The couple immediately sat down, with Molly practically clinging to her husband and Minerva sat down opposite from them in a sunken armchair. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but another one of your children have gone missing. Ronald and Harry Potter disappeared approximately an hour and a half ago, presumably in an attempt to rescue Ginerva. We are making attempts to find them, and we're hoping that they'll all make it back safely. There is a chance, however, that this won't happen and I needed to come and prepare you for that possibility."

The witch burst into tears, which soon turned into body-racking sobs. Arthur, too, looked distraught and simply wrapped his arms around Molly, kissing the top of her head.

As Molly began to calm down, Minerva decided it was time to tell them the next part. "Professor Dumbledore is also reinstated as Headmaster, and we would like to welcome you to Hogwarts, so that you may await the arrival of your children. This will make it easier for us to contact you when they turn up."

The couple nodded and Molly moved to gather her ball of yarn and knitting needles before walking toward the fireplace. "Where am I going?"

Minerva smiled at the woman's sudden determination. "My office will be perfectly fine. The floo is open and Albus should be waiting for you there."

Molly nodded and hastily floo'ed to the Professor's office. Minerva looked to Arthur, who gestured her forward. She stepped through and found that moments after she walked through, the fire turned a brilliant green again and Arthur came out, dusting soot off of his shirt.

Albus greeted the Weasleys and apologized for everything that was going on before silence consumed the room as the Weasleys sat in front of the fire, and the Dumbledores sat behind Minerva's desk.

A long while later, there was a knock at the door before it opened, revealing three students and a professor all covered in slime and mud. No one spoke for a moment, but then Mrs. Weasley jumped up, screaming, "Ginny!"

Minerva couldn't help it. As Molly enveloped her daughter in a hug, Minerva slowly began to cry. Albus was beaming at her and Harry was looking at the pair curiously before being swept into an embrace by Molly, who again squealed. "You saved her! You saved her! _How_ did you do it?"

Minerva gave a slight grin before speaking up. "I think we'd all like to know that." They all watched attentively as Harry walked across the room and set the sword, hat, and a diary on the desk. The boy immediately began to explain what all had happened. Minerva understood how they figured everything out, but one question still remained. "Very well, so you found out where the entrance was – breaking a hundred school rules into pieces along the way, I might add – but how on earth did you all get out of there alive, Potter?" Again, the boy set about explaining how he had fought Riddle and the Basilisk.

The boy eventually faltered and looked to Dumbledore, who smiled before stating, "What interests me most is how Lord Voldemort managed to enchant Ginny, when my sources tell me he is currently in hiding in the forests of Albania.

Minerva wasn't the only person who appeared dumbfounded at his statement, and she found herself ignoring what he said, and stepping out of the conversation completely until she heard Mr. Weasley raising his voice. It took her a moment to realize what he was talking about, but when she finally did, she realized that Ginny had been writing back and forth with the diary, and that it was also apparently fueled by very dark magic.

Soon enough, Dumbledore began to give instructions. "Miss Weasley should go up to the hospital wing right away. This has been a terrible ordeal for her. There will be no punishment. Older and wiser wizards than she have been hoodwinked by Lord Voldemort. Bed rest and perhaps a large, steaming mug of hot chocolate. I always find that cheers me up. You will find that Madam Pomfrey is still awake. She's just giving out Mandrake juice – I daresay the basilisk's victims will be waking up any moment."

Minerva's heart soared and she felt like spinning along with it. Annabelle was going to be okay! She was going to be awake within minutes! If there weren't students to worry about, she'd sprint to the office right this second. She still contemplated doing this, but Albus interrupted her thoughts as the Weasleys walked out the door.

"You know, Minerva, I think all this merits a good feast. Might I ask you to go alert the kitchens?"

"Right." Said the professor. She knew him better than to believe he simply wanted her to alert the kitchens and she inched her way closer to the door as she spoke. "I'll leave you to deal with Potter and Weasley, shall I?"

She practically fled her office and transformed mid-step into her animagus form. She dashed down to the kitchen and transformed back as she met the portrait of the fruit bowl. She tickled the pear and called the elves to attention. "There will be a feast to celebrate the defeat of the Heir of Slytherin and the revival of all those Petrified." A cheer broke out among the elves and Minerva smiled at Lindy, who was crying through her cheers. The elf had been devastated when she found out about Annabelle being Petrified. Minerva gave her a small smile before turning around and exiting the kitchen as she turned back into a cat and sprinted to the infirmary.

As she reached it, the students were still rousing themselves and she transformed back at the door, tears glistening in her emerald eyes. "Annabelle?"


	25. One Step Forward

I can't believe the response that Chapter 24 received! Have I mentioned I adore you guys? I have a lot of people to thank so here we go: thank you dsrtchck, AryaElf, MiraclesHappen94 (twice!), ruth hammond, khaoula McGamoura, Aslin's Fire, & a guest for commenting. Also, thank you khaoula McGamoura, satsuki75, Poppinswannabe, MiraclesHappen94, & ruth hammond for adding TC&W to their story alerts or favorites!

Disclaimer: I don't own J.K. Rowling's magnificent work.

The blonde witch slowly turned her head to the side. Her muscles felt so stiff and she really just wanted to go to sleep. Her mind had been constantly going since she'd been Petrified and she was ready for a good, long nap. Yawning, Annabelle pealed her eyes open and found herself staring at her soon-to-be mother.

Minerva was standing, frozen, at the infirmary doors. She couldn't seem to force herself to move any closer to her daughter. Miss Weasley was sitting on the bed next to Annabelle's, alternating between looking at Minerva and looking at her best friend. The professor gathered that she had more than simply an inkling as to what was going on between them.

Annabelle flexed her fingers and curled her toes upon instruction from her aunt. She moved onto the more difficult movements with ease as she bent her legs and rolled her shoulders, but she wasn't focused. Minerva was simply standing at the infirmary doors, staring at her and this bothered Annabelle. Why wouldn't she come closer?

Minerva watched as her daughter began to move her muscles again, face occasionally screwing up in pain. The professor hated to see her cubs in pain and hesitantly began to move towards her before breaking into a full-out run and enveloping her daughter into a hug as she sat down. "Belle, I am so sorry."

Annabelle was shocked by the professor's sudden movements, but wrapped her arms around her figure anyway, feeling secure in her embrace. She heard Minerva sniffle and soon felt a drop of water fall into her hair. "Professor, why are you crying? I'm okay." They weren't in private, so Annabelle didn't dare call her by her first name.

Minerva smiled at her naivety. "I was afraid I was going to lose you. I can't live without mo chroí, lass." She hugged her tighter before releasing her, knowing that their secret would be spread through the school by the end of tomorrow. She ran a hand down her daughters jaw, loving the smile that came with it. "I've missed that smile so much."

Again, Annabelle was surprised by the professor's openness and blatant disregard for their rules. She wanted to ask, but there were more important things right now. "Did you figure it out? Did you catch the Heir of-"

Minerva lifted up a hand and silenced her student. "It is dealt with, mo chroí." She involuntarily glanced toward Ginerva, but smiled anyway. "We're all safe now, lass, though I think our secret is not." A sheepish grin spread across the professor's features, making her seem years younger.

Annabelle shrugged. "It was out before today. Ginny's known for months and everyone who's been Petrified have known for a couple weeks."

The younger witch sounded so nonchalant, but Minerva's mind was thrown for a whirl with the simple statements. "You could hear me?"

Annabelle shrugged again and nodded. "Aunt Poppy didn't think we could hear you guys either. She told Ron and Harry that. It's okay. I understand why you didn't want to sit in here. I just missed you." By the end, her voice was barely a whisper and her gaze was fixed firmly on her lap.

Minerva made a point to store that fact into her memory. She'd have to let Poppy know later. Petrified victims could hear and see. That was amazing. "I missed you too, Belle. Do you know why I missed you?" The child shrugged, causing Minerva to grin. "I missed you because I love you, lass. I missed you because mo chroí was missing. How can one live without a heart, Belle?"

Belle's head shot up. Love? There was no way Minerva loved her. Sure, she wanted to take care of her. Sure, she wanted to protect her, but those things didn't amount to love, did they? Maybe they did, but how do you respond to that? Annabelle wasn't ready to say she loved Minerva. Do you say thank you? Do you say it back just because they said it first? Her ministrations were put to a stop as Minerva's voice rang in her ears again.

"Love, whatever it is you're thinking, stop. It's not important. Just believe me when I say I love you and that's all I need." She stood up and looked towards the group of Weasleys, smiling. "Would you like to head down to the feast with us? I believe it's about time for it to begin." Two of her cubs had already left the infirmary by now, so she felt perfectly fine heading down as long as Annabelle came with. Ginerva was surrounded by family and would be alright now as well.

Molly and Arthur looked between their two children since Ronald had joined them since Minerva arrived. Ronald immediately looked to Ginerva ,who nodded on cue. The group got up and began to make their way down to the great hall, where they found out the feast was already taking place.

Annabelle, Ginny, and the rest of the Weasleys all took their seats at the Gryffindor table while Minerva made her way up to the head table, smiling at the varying colors and styles of pajamas. Even Albus had changed into his night clothes, making Minerva feel slightly out of place. She was, of course, wearing her emerald robes from the day before. However, once she reached the head table, she transfigured them into a set of pajamas and a dressing gown before pointing her wand at her daughter and doing the same.

Annabelle dropped her spoon and jumped halfway out of her seat. Her clothes had just changed while on her body. How in the world did that happen? Glancing to her left, she noticed that Ginny's clothes had also changed. She nudged the red-head, who then almost fell off the bench.

"You scared me, Belle. What?" Ginny's eyes had grown wide in momentary fear and she was gripping her fork tight enough to turn her knuckles white.

Annabelle reached out her hand and laid it on top of Ginny's. "I'm sorry. I was just going to ask if you knew how our clothes changed. I didn't mean to scare you."

Ginny nodded, forcing herself to calm down by chuckling. "That was McGonagall. I saw her point her wand at you and she did the same for me. I guess she didn't want us to feel out of place." She shrugged and turned back to her food.

Annabelle nodded. That did make sense. She then tuned into the conversations around her and occasionally took part in them.

After about an hour, Minerva called for the attention of the student body. Albus had asked her to make the following announcement, though she didn't approve in the slightest. "After the recent events, it has been decided that all exams have been canceled as a treat to the school." Students rose to their feet, applauding and cheering to their hearts content. Even the Ravenclaws were cheering, but Hermione Granger wasn't and neither was Annabelle. Both witches reminded Minerva of herself she decided.

The rest of the night went easily for Annabelle and Minerva and eventually Dumbledore sent everyone to bed. Annabelle was more than ready to retire and practically ran up to her dormitory and passed out the moment her head hit the pillow. Ginerva was not far behind her, but then, none of the Gryffindors were.

About a week later, while Minerva was teaching her 7th year NEWT's, a letter arrived by owl post. She was explaining a complex theory when she heard a tapping at the window. Every head spun in that direction and Minerva began to ignore it when she recognized the ministry seal. She turned back to the class, "Please read this theory on page 296. We will discuss it in ten minutes." She then practically ran over to the window, hoping beyond hope that the owl held what she'd been waiting nearly six months for. She opened the window, letting the owl fly into the room and land on her arm. Removing the letter, she quickly ripped it open and read,

_Mrs. Minerva Marie Dumbledore McGonagall:_

_We are writing to inform you that the court date for custody of Miss Annabelle Rosalie Wyte has been set. Miss Wyte's temporary custody has been awarded to you, but her final destination will be determined at an 11am hearing on July 9__th__ at the Ministry of Magic. You both are required to be in attendance for the entirety of the hearing._

_Yours sincerely, _

_Amanda Lux_

_Magical Child Services_

_Ministry of Magic._

Minerva reread the letter twice before finally realizing what it meant. Annabelle could be her legal daughter within the month. Immediately, she turned back to the class and began to teach with a new energy. The rest of her day went the same way, but she had to fight not to engulf Annabelle in a hug the moment she walked into the room. She wanted to tell Annabelle, but she also wanted to wait until term ended and they were alone, so she did.

Albus was told that night, but Minerva found that the term quickly ended and the next thing she knew, she was walking children down to Hogsmeade station. Again, she watched Annabelle and Ginny say goodbye and swore to herself that she wouldn't keep them separated all summer. They were too close for that, and had spent too much time away from each other as is. Plus, Minerva could tell that Annabelle was close to opening up to Ginerva. She just needed a little bit more time.

Annabelle followed Minerva back up to the castle and finished packing her bags with Lindy's help. Lindy shrunk her belongings before putting them in her trunk and shrinking the trunk so it could sit in Annabelle's pocket.

Annabelle began to walk towards the door when Lindy cleared her throat. "Little Miss…"

Annabelle quickly turned around. "Yes, Lindy?" The elf had a way of making Annabelle feel very formal, yet relaxed at the same time.

"Lindy can apparate Little Miss directly to Mistress and Mater's quarters if Little Miss would like."

Annabelle had forgotten that house elves could apparate within Hogwarts and immediately grinned. "Sure thing, Lindy. I'd appreciate that." She reached her hand out to the house elf and clamped her eyes shut as the elf took her hand and turned. The pair disappeared with a soft 'pop' and found themselves sitting in Minerva's sitting room, where Sylvanna had already decided to take up residence. Sylvanna had left Gryffindor Tower early that morning and hadn't come back yet. At some point during the day, she'd made her way inside with Albus and had been curled up on the couch since.

Albus and Minerva's quarters were in a state of chaos. Different items were flying throughout the rooms, packing themselves as Minerva stalked from room to room, flicking her wand in different directions. By now, most the walls were bare except for her bookshelves, so she was busy sending the books to pack themselves.

Lindy stepped away from Annabelle and began to assist her masters in packing. Soon, every item was safely in its spot and they slowly made their way back into the room with Albus on their heels. They sat down by Annabelle, but quickly determined they'd wait until they got home to talk any further.

Minerva stood up, shrunk all of their belongings and activated the floo so she could send them through. She then turned back to her family, gesturing them forward. "After you, Albus. I'll take Annabelle with me."

Annabelle watched as Albus walked into the fireplace, dropped some silvery powder, and then disappeared in a flash of green flames simply by saying the name of McGonagall manor. As the flames died down, Minerva urged Annabelle to walk forward and into the fireplace. She did, but was scared that the flames would hurt. She paid careful attention to Minerva as she grabbed a handful of the powder and stepped inside, standing close to Annabelle. "I'd recommend keeping your eyes and mouth shut as the ash and soot swirls around you as you travel."

Annabelle nodded and inched closer to Minerva, taking hold of her empty hand as she did so. "Will it hurt? I mean, will the flames burn me?"

Minerva chuckled and leaned down to place a reassuring kiss on the girl's forehead. She had grown some this year. "No, Belle. The flames don't hurt at all. Though, they tickle a little in my opinion. Are you ready?"

Annabelle nodded, and Minerva dropped the powder, speaking, "McGonagall Manor!" Soon, Annabelle felt like she was swirling through the air and she clamped her eyes shut. Wizards travelled in such strange ways, but they seemed to be extremely convenient. Soon enough, the spinning came to a halt and Annabelle opened her eyes to see Minerva's sitting room at the manor. The professor quickly dusted herself off and walked out of the fireplace. Annabelle followed suit and sat down upon instruction. "Albus is going to get us some tea, but I wanted to tell you something before he came back."


	26. Two Steps Back

Thank you purplepanda357, Boneslover247, & CAG7 for adding TB&C to their story alerts or favorites. Also, thank you Kat & ruth hammond for reviewing the previous chapter. I'm glad you all are more patient than the woman lying right next to me at the moment. She's lucky I love her anyway. Also, I wanted to warn you all that I won't be updating much after today for the rest of the week. I'll be busy and away from my computer, so bear with me here. Anywho, here's your chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't have kids. I didn't grow up in England. Therefore, there's no way I am J.K. Sorry... :) Oh...and I'm not blonde!

Annabelle stared intensely at her professor, who looked uncharacteristically nervous at that moment. "What is it, Minerva? Did something happen?"

Minerva chuckled and shook her head. "Always the perceptive little one, aren't you, lass?" The child simply shrugged, so Minerva continued. "I received a letter early last week from the Ministry of Magic pertaining to your case. The Ministry set a court date, but I don't think it's going to go over as smoothly as we had hoped. You see, they want you to attend, and they wouldn't ask you to be there if they didn't have a good reason. I'm afraid they might want you to testify."

All the blood drained out of Annabelle's face as she stared at her professor in horror. How could she possibly testify? Was her father going to be there? Her mother? How could she do it if they were? Would she have to stand in front of the whole room? Surely, Minerva wouldn't let them do that to her, right? Right?

Minerva noticed that her daughter was quickly becoming distressed and decided to intervene. She moved to sit beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. "Hey, kitten, you're okay. You're a lion. There's no reason to be afraid."

Annabelle had begun to relax into her mentor's embrace, but stopped short at her last comment. She jerkily pulled away. "There's nothing for you to be afraid of! You're not the one who has to testify that her parents beat her!" Glaring at her professor, she got up and stormed to her room, not caring that she heard Minerva calling to her from behind.

Slamming the door behind her, Annabelle collapsed on the bed and sighed, hastily wiping at her tears. _That was stupid._ She had taken her anger out on the one person who loved her, but that didn't matter now. Annabelle couldn't go back down there. She pulled out her wand and pointed it at the door, "Colloportus." She knew that if Minerva really wanted in, it probably wouldn't even take her wand. She probably wouldn't even have to say, "Alohomora," to unlock it. However, it would get the point across, and Annabelle hoped that Minerva wouldn't barge in if it was locked.

Turning back to her bed, she came face to face with identical forest green eyes. "What do you want Sylvia?" The cat simply mewled and began to rub against her shoulder lovingly. Sighing, Annabelle figured that the cat was probably just hungry since she left the common room before she ate her breakfast. Annabelle walked over to her food bowl and placed a scoop of cat food into it.

As she suspected, Sylvanna immediately stopped mewling and sprinted over to the bowl. The cat ate everything before sauntering over to the bed, hopping up, and curling into a ball to go to sleep.

Annabelle stood perfectly silent for a minute, but then realized that she was supposed to be writing Ginny tonight. "I guess now's as good a time as ever."

Annabelle sat down at her desk and pulled out a piece of parchment, a quill, and a bottle of black ink.

_Ginny,_

Should she tell Ginny about the court case? Should she tell her about what she said to Minerva? Ginny would understand, right? Was it normal for daughters to yell at their mothers or was Annabelle simply proving that she was unfit to be a daughter? Sighing, she shoved the parchment away and laid her head on the desk. Was it _her_ fault that her dad hit her? Was it because she _wasn't_ a good daughter?

Downstairs, Minerva didn't know what to do. Should she follow Annabelle upstairs? Or should she just let her cool off on her own time and talk to her about this later? She rubbed her temples and sat back down, wincing at the pain that was quickly spreading throughout her skull. "Albus…" The wizard immediately walked through the door, holding two mugs and looking incredibly sheepish. Minerva figured he had been listening in. She looked up at him, her eyes portraying the hurt she felt. "What do I do? I knew that testifying would probably scare her, but I figured the court case might be enough to make it worth it."

Albus smiled. "Give her time, Tabby. Though, I'm sure some lemon drops wouldn't hurt either." Minerva's eyebrows shot into her hair and Albus chuckled. "It seems she's taken a liking to them."

Minerva shook her head. You could trust Albus to sneak your children sweets. She still couldn't believe that he, Poppy, and Ro had been sneaking Quidditch lessons with the child. How could they keep these things from her? "I'll wait a couple more minutes, but I'm going in prepared." Grinning at his utterly confused expression, she lifted a hand into the air, as if to catch something. "Accio lemon drops." As she suspected, a bag flew out of the kitchen and into her hand. Remarkably, it was practically full.

Now that she knew what she was going to do, she felt comfortable sitting and drinking her tea. She lifted her cup to her mouth, but quickly pulled it away as the smell was off. Albus was one of the few people she'd willingly take a drink from without testing it first, so the smell was definitely unwelcome. She glanced over to him and cleared her throat. Once she had his attention she simply darted her gaze pointedly at the mug before looking back to him.

Albus frowned, making his jolly outfit seem very misplaced. He had actually thought that she had stopped freaking out about what was put in her drinks, but he supposed he couldn't blame her. The wars had certainly not been kind to her, and he considered one of them his fault, even if he did end it. "It's a minor pain relief potion, dear. I figured you'd probably have a growing headache after your little dispute, so I put some in your drink. At least I didn't put syrup in it again, right dear?"

Minerva rolled her eyes, but appreciatively took a drink. He had never put syrup in her drinks. The man always seemed to be able to lighten the mood, though, and so she was eternally grateful. After a couple more sips, her headache was long gone and she glanced over to him again. "Just warn me next time. I can be a good patient, no matter what Poppy may say." She finished her drink and decided it was time to head upstairs and check on Belle. She grabbed the lemon drops from the table and made her way upstairs and knocked on the door. "Kitten, may I come in?"

Annabelle was half asleep by now, still sitting at the desk. By now, she didn't care that Minerva might be mad at her. She almost expected and hoped for it. It's what she deserved, right? "Yes. Sure." She called.

Minerva moved to open the door, but the handle wouldn't budge. Without thinking twice, she simply waved her hand at the knob and heard it click as it unlocked itself. She walked in and was met with the sight of Annabelle slumped over at her desk, looking absolutely dreadful. Was this her fault? Should she have waited to tell her, or maybe told her more gently? She moved towards her daughter and laid the lemon drops on the desk, taking notice of the discarded parchment. "Belle, honey, what's wrong?" As angry as Annabelle had seemed when she stormed upstairs, Minerva hadn't thought she was thoroughly upset.

Annabelle refused to look at her. This had to be a trick. There was no other way to describe what she was doing. It couldn't be real. "Why aren't you mad at me?" She didn't mean to sound as snippy as she did, but now that it was out there was no taking it back.

Minerva sighed. "Belle, I'm not mad at you for being upset. It's okay to be upset about the court case. I didn't mean to belittle your fears."

Annabelle huffed. Right. She didn't mean to call her a coward? "Well, you did. It's too late to take it back now."

Raising an eyebrow, Minerva inched closer to her daughter. This was not like her at all. What had gotten into her today? "Kitten, I think we have another issue here that doesn't pertain to the fear of you testifying. However, I wasn't trying to say that you couldn't be afraid of testifying. I'm saying you don't need to be afraid because I will protect you. I promised you that you would never ever have to go back there, didn't I?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Annabelle still didn't want to believe her, but she nodded anyway. She was actually making sense.

"I'm here to stay, kitten. We've already discussed this. You're mo chroí, and I can't live without you. Don't you understand that?" She reached out to gently turn the chair to make Annabelle face her and cupped her cheek. "Belle, I _love_ you. I'm not going to hurt you. I need you to trust me when I say that, Belle." Minerva felt like she was breaking through some sort of hellacious barrier as she spoke those words. She meant them though. She loved her so much and it only seemed to grow each and every day.

Annabelle sighed against Minerva's hands and let her tears begin to fall. She understood, but she was scared. No matter what Minerva said about not needing to fear, she was still afraid. She wanted to trust Minerva. She really did, but in Annabelle's mind, that required actually admitting that you love them, and she still wasn't ready to cross that threshold. She was ready to talk about the case though. "Will I have to talk in front of them? Will they see me?"

Minerva wordlessly and wandlessly cast a weightless spell on Annabelle and scooped her shaking figure into her arms. "I'm afraid so, kitten, but I promise, I'll be right there. All you have to do is look at me if you're afraid. I'll be your strength. I'll be your courage. After all, I'm a lion too and I'll gladly be the one to defend you."

Annabelle was glad to be in Minerva's warm embrace, but didn't know what to think otherwise. "Will they be allowed to talk to me?" It was a huge fear of hers.

"Certainly not while you're testifying, but we can't control what they say when they testify. You can cover your ears at any point you'd like, though silencing spells aren't allowed during the trial. I'd place one around you if you wanted me to if they were allowed." Minerva couldn't help but think that she didn't want them to see her any more than Annabelle wanted to see them. It was going to take all of her self-control to keep from hexing them the moment they stepped into the room. If it wasn't for the fact that she promised to protect Annabelle, she'd contemplate handing over her wand again. "If you're worried I won't be able to protect you all by myself, we can have a whole team on your side. If you want, we can write to Poppy, Rolanda, and Pomona right now." She gestured toward the desk. "You can also finish your letter to Ginerva while enjoying your treat from Albus. He said you like them."

"Can we? I mean, can we write them all letters?" Suddenly, she felt nervous about the whole situation, including sitting in her mentor's lap. She slowly stood up, but felt extremely odd without any weight. She felt unsteady, but at the same time, she figured it'd be difficult for her to fall.

Minerva noticed the girl's peculiar expressions and stood beside her, ready to steady her. "Becoming weightless is easy, Belle. It's going back that becomes a little bit more difficult. It might sound backwards, but you may feel a little lightheaded when I reverse the spell, so I think it'd be better if you sit down." The younger witch obliged and Minerva came around behind her, and placed a hand on her shoulder before reversing the spell.

Annabelle's head seemed to spin and she dropped her chin as she clamped her eyes shut. A little lightheaded was an understatement. Her stomach lurched, and for a moment, she was afraid that she was going to pass out. However, the feeling faded after a couple of painstaking moments and Annabelle slowly looked up to her mentor who was smiling patiently.

"Better?" The child nodded and Minerva's smile grew. She conjured another chair and sat down next to her daughter. "Would you like me to write the letters to Poppy, Pomona, and Rolanda?"

Annabelle shrugged. "Sure. My parchment is in the bag by your feet." Annabelle picked up her quill and pulled the letter to Ginny back to in front of her.

_Ginny,_

_I travelled by floo today to get back home, and by home, I mean Minerva's manor. McGonagall manor is so huge, just like I told you before. It turns out, this could really become my home soon. They set the court date, but I think Minerva told me what day it is. She and I sort of got in an argument. Well, she told me I might have to testify, and so I yelled at her. Ginny, I'm scared. What will happen if she doesn't win? She promised I don't have to go back, but what if she loses? What will I do? Do you think your mum would let you come to the hearing? I think I'd like to have you there with me if you can come. Please ask her for me. I'll write you with the date later._

_-Annabelle_

Meanwhile, Minerva was writing her own letter to her friends.

_Poppy, Pomona, & Ro, _

_Annabelle and I decided it might be best if we have company during the hearing. We think they're going to have Annabelle testify, and that's going to be excruciatingly hard on her. I also don't know if I can trust myself to keep my temper under control. You know me. Anyway, it's set for July 9__th__ at 11am. Please let me know if you'll be able to come._

_-Min_

Minerva magically duplicated the letter and called out the window for Theodore. It took a moment, but soon enough, Minerva saw a black dot growing larger as Theo flew toward them and onto Minerva's arm. She handed it the letters, which she had addressed to each woman and lightly pet his head. Glancing to Annabelle, she noticed that the child had placed her quill back on the desk. "Are you ready to send your letter to Ginerva?"

Annabelle glanced between the letter and Theo a couple of times. She then folded it up and placed it in a small envelope, labeling it, 'Ginny Weasley.' She handed it to Theo and grinned as the owl took all four envelopes in its mouth and flew off. Annabelle decided she likes owls better when they couldn't make noise, which meant she liked them when they were carrying letters in their mouth.

Minerva enjoyed watching her cub as she sent her letter to her friend. "So, kitten, how about you and I go downstairs and get something for dinner. I'm sure Albus is getting tired of being abandoned by us, yes?"


	27. Mothers Know Best

A/N: Hello lovely readers! Your author is out at the moment and so I (Kayla) will be uploading your 27th chapter. Since she's absent all the thanks for reviews and such will be done when she gets back, and if she's able to write more chapters while away I'll be the one uploading them. I believe that's all I was told to state so I'll go before I get myself into trouble. Good night and happy reading! :D

Disclaimer: I am most certainly not J.K. Rowling and neither is the author of this delightful tale.

* * *

The next few days went without any major occurrences in the McGonagall manor. Annabelle was nearly finished with her homework for the summer and Minerva was glad to be on break because she didn't have to worry about marking inadequate essays any longer. Albus was being called away to the Ministry every couple of days to help Cornelius with some sort of task, and Minerva was beginning to grow frustrated with his continual absences when their family was supposed to be getting settled and ready for the trial.

Annabelle was, however, growing increasingly worried about the upcoming court case. It would be the first time she'd seen either parent since Christmas break. How was she going to face them? How could she?

Poppy and Ro had both already written back, stating that they could make it and would certainly be there, with her wand at the ready in Rolanda's case. Pomona had also written back by now, but she was unable to make it. She and Filius had plans to be in India for them each to do their own research and enjoy themselves together for their anniversary. Minerva had failed to remember that their anniversary was the day following Annabelle's hearing, but Pomona simply laughed, telling her that she was growing forgetful in her old age.

Minerva was most aggravated that Albus had decided to inform her mother of what was going on. For some hellacious reason, he felt the need to let her know, so she could be there to support them, but now she wanted to meet her granddaughter first. In fact, she was due to arrive within the hour and Minerva was certainly not ready for that intrusion. She and her mother had not gotten along since her father had passed away, and it was definitely not something that got better with time. Minerva's relationship with her mother was about as civil as Albus' relationship with his brother, Aberforth.

Annabelle was upstairs diligently working on the remainder of her homework, or so Minerva thought. Really, she had just received her letter from Ginny regarding the time and date of the trial, so now she was reading over it.

_Belle,_

_I wanted to check with Mum and Dad before writing back to you. I'm able to come to the hearing, but only if Mum can come too. Is that alright? I understand if it isn't. Oh, don't worry about testifying. I'm sure you'll be fine. McGonagall won't let anything bad happen. _

_Also, I wanted to let you know that we're leaving for Egypt soon and Mum wants you to come over some time before term starts. She wants to make sure you're eating enough and claims that she can only do that by actually seeing you in person. Let me know when you want to come over._

_With love,_

_Ginny_

Annabelle immediately stood up, not bothering to pick up the book she knocked over in the process, and sprinted downstairs. She collided with a solid figure and, guessing it was simply Minerva, spoke up. "Mu - er – Minerva, I just got a let-"

The figure stepped back and looked the child up and down, chuckling as her eyes grew wide with shock. "I daresay my daughter's probably in her study. She tends to spend most of her time there. She always has." The elder witch shook her head and guided her granddaughter toward the study, saying, "Why don't we go find her so you can tell her about whatever it is you're so excited about?"

Annabelle simply nodded and walked with the witch until they made it to the study. She then separated herself from the witch and moved to sit near Minerva, not knowing whether she should just ask or how to go about it now that the other witch was around.

Minerva looked between the pair before standing up, effectively blocking her mother's view from Annabelle. "You could at least try announcing your presence when you arrive, Mother." Though she bit the word off, she had to admit that she'd missed saying it over the past few years. As much as she despised how the woman had shown up and she would still hate many things about her later, she loved her and missed her.

The elder McGonagall bristled. "Last I heard this was still McGonagall manor, Minerva." After all, this had been her home for years before Minerva was even born.

Minerva guffawed. "Well, last _I _heard, you were no longer a McGonagall. You didn't even wait a week after Dad's death to change your name. He left the manor to _me_, Mother. The cottage is yours. The manor is mine." This was an age old argument between the pair and Minerva knew they weren't getting anywhere. Sighing, she turned back to her cub, knelt down and kissed her forehead. "Give us just a minute, okay, Belle?"

Isobel raised an eyebrow at her daughter's sudden change in demeanor as she addressed the child. Maybe her daughter had finally found the second half of her heart. Isobel had always known that there was something missing, especially after the stillborn, but how do you tell your daughter that you think she's missing a part of her heart? How do you tell her that she's becoming heartless?

Minerva walked past her mother, anger seeping from every pore. She listened as the elder woman followed her out of the room and shut the door to keep Annabelle from hearing. As she turned back to her mother, she waved her hand at the door, casting a silencing spell. "I understand that you might want to be a part of her life, but barging into my house is not a smart way to start this. She needs consistency and reliability right now. I need her to feel safe in this house, and that's not going to happen if people can just floo in at any time they want."

Isobel's eyebrows rose. No matter how upset Minerva had been with her, she'd never used that tone of voice before. She'd never sounded so motherly before now, but she was flawed. "I believe you're mistaken, Minerva. I can only come in because of the blood wards. You never warded me out, though you threatened to more often than your father did."

Minerva's lips twitched, as if to form into a smile, but she stopped them. "He had good reason some days. You could be a royal pain back then. In fact, you still can be, but I believe you're here for a reason, so I'll let you say your piece before I make my final decision."

Isobel's composure faltered. Surely, her daughter wasn't giving her a final ultimatum, right? She had to get this right if she wanted to be a part of her granddaughter's life. "Minerva, I'm not here to apologize, but I am here to make things right. We've both done things that I don't believe are right, but part of my reasoning was fear. Ever since your father died and you lost Timothy, you've not been yourself. You've grown cold. You've grown distant. Now, again, I realize that a lot of this is my fault. I shouldn't have distanced myself from you like I did, but it's just how it is now. I want to be a part of her life." She sighed and looked straight into Minerva's gaze. "I don't want to lose her and you."

Minerva laughed again. "You never had her. She's been mine, and you didn't even know about her until Albus wrote you to tell you. So, I don't want to hear that you don't want to lose her. Now, in regards to your losing me: you haven't had me for years. Don't claim that you missed me. You would have answered one of my owls. You would have told me that you were okay. You wouldn't have let things get this bad between us." Minerva stopped her rant and leaned against the wall, growing tired of this dispute. "You can try to fix things, Mother, but don't you dare try and make excuses for your decisions, and _never_ try to guilt me again"

Isobel was finally shocked into silence, so she simply nodded. She couldn't deny that she'd tried to guilt Minerva into letting her see her granddaughter. What else was she to do?

"Now, I'm going back in to spend time with _my_ daughter. You may either join us, or leave, but I expect you to be peaceful towards her at all times. If I hear a single example that might discount that, then I swear to Merlin, you will not live to take another breath, let alone see another day. Is that clear?"

Again, Isobel nodded and followed her daughter back into the study where her granddaughter was reading the book that Minerva had discarded, labeled _Transfiguration Theories for Strong Stomachs_. Minerva quickly made her way over to her daughter and gently pried the book out of her hands. "Give this one a few years before you try and take it on, alright Belle?"

The eleven-year-old's eyebrows knit together and her bottom lip jut out. "It makes sense, Minerva. Why can't I read it now?"

Minerva scowled right back at her, but her eyes held a playful spark. "Because I don't even let my N.E.W.T. students read this book. It's in the restricted section, young lady. However, I have something that will be just as challenging to handle for you." The child's eyes lit up and Minerva giggled. "Let me formally introduce you to my mother, Isobel Ross. She would like to accompany us to the trial on the 9th, but I want you to know that it's up to you. I honestly don't care whichever way you choose."

Annabelle's scowl lightened a little as Minerva began to toy with her. It was so different from the face she put on at school. "Can I choose later?" Both women immediately nodded and Annabelle smiled. "Thanks, and Minerva, I was wondering what you thought about me spending a night at the Weasley's house? Molly and Ginny invited me over. Molly said she wants to make sure I'm eating enough. Will you let me go? Please?"

Minerva grinned. Of course she would let the child go. "Tell Ginerva to have Molly write me about a date and time and we'll figure it out."

Annabelle nodded and bolted from the room to go write Ginny.

_Ginny, _

_Minerva said it is fine, but that she wants to talk to your mum about it. Can you have her write my mum?_

Annabelle realized her mistake and hastily tried to cross out the words, 'my mum.' However, it wouldn't fade, so she simply went with it.

_Also, I'm alright with your mum coming to my hearing. I just really need you there, though I wouldn't mind having another skilled witch on my side. Anyway, I'll talk to you later. _

_-Belle_


	28. Morning Before

You all aren't ready to hunt me down and shoot me yet? Oh, right...you'd do that if it weren't for the fact that you're actually enjoying this! So, it's just a little bit of fluffiness, and for that, I'm sorry. I promise: there will be more action in the coming chapters and those chapters will come much sooner. After my trip, I got overwhelmed with the kids and duties back at home and couldn't seem to find a spare minute to write and actually want to write. I've got my head again, though, and so we should be good to go.

Anyway, thanks go out to AryaElf, A, Kokotheevilone, dsrtchck, MilliePrue-BellatrixLestrange, Sammy Ocean, ruth hammond for your outstanding reviews. Also, thank you TsumeNagata (aka Kayla...I finally got her to make an account...), MilliePrue-BellatrixLestrange, yojojo19, BoredCollegeGirl, phantom-of-mystery, waterflygirl, Sammy Ocean, redwolfeye, & Jaymorie for either favoriting this story or adding it to your story alerts. Also, an extra special thanks goes out to Ruth because you're totally the reason I got this chapter out today. :)

Another super special thank you goes to my lovely Kayla! Thank you for posting chapter 27 for me while I was gone. I also want to apologize for the fact that you have to listen to me complain when I'm trying to get a chapter done before bed, but I'm too tired, and therefore cranky. Thanks for loving me anyway, dearheart. -Liz

Now, if you stuck with me through all of that...here's you disclaimer: I'm not J.K. Rowling. I don't own Harry Potter. Now read on...

It was five in the morning and the sun had yet to rise as Minerva lay in her bed, wide awake. Isobel had decided to give the new family their space and had begun only coming over after flooing. She didn't always wait for permission, but she at least warned Minerva in advance. She got along with Annabelle and Albus very well, but Minerva kept their conversions short and to the point, not letting herself grow close to the woman she's had begun to consider dead.

Today, however, Minerva found herself looking forward to seeing her mother. She was simply glad that Annabelle would have another family member there for her, or that's what she told herself. Really, she wanted her mother to be there when their new family officially began.

Like every morning since term let out, Minerva got up to check on Annabelle. She wrapped a turquoise robe around her thin figure and slid her feet into a pair of house shoes before opening her door and making her way up to Annabelle's room.

Knocking almost inaudibly, Minerva opened the door and came face to face with a short teary-eyed blonde who immediately wrapped her frail arms around the teacher. Minerva returned the gesture, rubbing circles on her back. "Good morning, kitten. I love you." Kneeling down, she brushed Anabelle's tears away. "How'd you sleep?"

The blonde witch shrugged. "Okay, I guess, but not real well. I was too nervous to sleep any longer." Her eyes began to roam the room, not willing to believe that after today, she may never see anything in this haven again. It may never again be hers.

Minerva ran her thumb over her daughter's cheek, smiling at her honesty. "I didn't sleep very well either, but it's okay to be nervous. Today, a lot of crazy things are going to happen and our lives are going to change, but you need to remember something very important." She let her hand drop to Annabelle's chin and lightly held it still, not letting the blonde remove her gaze.

Annabelle had finally begun to gain her composure again, but bit her lip as she wondered what could be so important. "What?" What could be so important to this woman on a day like this?

"I made you a promise over break, kitten. You're not going back. I don't care what I have to do. You are not going back with them." Minerva would hex anyone who tried to counter that. She didn't care how much trouble it might get her into. It might end her teaching career, but she would not break this promise to her baby. It was one of the few things she had not told her caseworker. You don't tell the woman in charge of your case that you're willing to curse anyone who attempts to send your daughter away from you.

Annabelle took a step back as her face slowly hardened into a glare. "You can't promise that. They might decide to make me go back with them. Don't make promises you can't keep." She couldn't believe that Minerva would lie to her, but there was no way she could overrule the court's decision either. It just wasn't possible.

Minerva couldn't help but chuckle as her outlook became slightly cynical. "Oh, yes, dear. I certainly can promise that because I will guarantee it. I will do anything to keep you from them, kitten." Her hand twitched towards her wand, but she kept herself from grabbing it, for fear of frightening the child. "Do you trust me, Annabelle?"

The blonde haired witch slowly nodded, worried that she might be getting herself into a mess even by admitting this. Minerva completely changed when discussing the blonde's parents and this scared her. Could she trust a woman who could change so quickly? She acted that way around Isobel, too, who had told her to call her Gran, but she couldn't do that. She couldn't even let herself call Minerva, 'Mum.'

Minerva grinned as she stood back up. "If you trust me, then believe me when I say I will protect you from them." The blonde showed no sign of even hearing Minerva, so the elder witch sighed, lightly shaking her head. "Alright, well, since we're both up, I suggest we head down to the kitchen and find ourselves something to eat, yes?"

Annabelle nodded and silently accompanied Minerva to the kitchen. She expected Annabelle to simply trust that everything would be okay. How would everything be okay? What if Minerva wasn't able to protect Annabelle? Sure, she was powerful, but there was going to be a room full of other witches and wizards there, too. Even if Aunt Poppy, Ro, Pomona, and Molly were all there to fight with Minerva, Annabelle doubted they could take on a whole room of others. Who would be on a muggle-born student's side? Who would want to protect her?

The pair settled into tall wooden stools, sitting on opposite sides of a circular table. Two mugs immediately appeared in front of them, one filled with fragrant hot chocolate and the other filled with very black, very strong, coffee.

Minerva gratefully picked hers up after casting a quill spell over it and imgomediately began nursing it as she gestured for Annabelle to pick up the chocolate liquid. "There is always at least one house elf moving around the house at a time. They live on strange schedules compared to us. It's a little difficult to understand, but you'll get used to it." She had noticed the child's utterly bewildered expression and decided to explain the only thing that could possibly be confusing at the moment. Surely, the child had grown used to Minerva drinking coffee at all hours of the day and night, as well as her strange habits of checking it for poison.

Annabelle slowly picked up the cup and took a quick sip. The truth was, she didn't want to put much on her stomach for fear of it not staying down. What if she got sick in the middle of their court hearing?

This thought alone made Belle's stomach churn and she leapt up from her chair, immediately dashing out of the kitchen and down the hallway. Reaching the bathroom, she slammed the door shut as she sank to her knees and emptied what little food was in her stomach. Given that she hadn't eaten much the previous night either, her bile was extremely acidic and hurt more than normal.

Minerva's eyes grew wide as her cub sprinted from the room, letting the door fly back and forth in her wake. Still gripping her coffee mug, which had a charm on it to make sure it never grew cold or empty, Minerva made her way toward the bathroom, where she could hear her poor baby. Knocking on a door for the second time that day, Minerva cautiously let herself in. The elder witch audibly sighed at the sight in front of her as she knelt down and swept back the child's hair, magically tying it into a bun so she could have both hands free. Running her hands up and down Annabelle's arms, Minerva kissed the top of her cub's head. What could she say? Really, what does one say when their child is ill? Minerva couldn't remember a time where her mother or father had needed to comfort her when she was sick. After all, it had been an extraordinarily long time since she'd been a child.

Annabelle's breathing was beginning to slow down, so the blonde witch grabbed a piece of tissue paper and wiped off her mouth. She hadn't meant for Minerva to see any of this. In fact, she had hoped that the older witch would pretend nothing happened. Now, that wasn't really an option, so Annabelle gave into her fate and simply leaned back against the elder witch, closing her eyes and trying to breathe in her scent. The cool peppermint was the strongest aroma and Annabelle swore to commit that to memory. She was so wrapped up in absorbing Minerva's scent that she didn't even flinch as the elder witch wrapped her arms around her.

Minerva carefully pulled the child into her lap and guided the blonde toward her shoulder so she could lie her head down. The poor child was sweating from the light exertion of throwing up and Minerva couldn't help but pity her. However, she felt absolutely helpless. Of course, this feeling only intensified as another witch poked her head into the room, looking quite worried.

"I was afraid I might find one or both of you here." Isobel walked the rest of the way into the room, flicking her wand at invisible 'messes' as she did so. Kneeling down next to her two favorite witches, Isobel cupped her granddaughter's cheek. "Don't tell me you're nervous. Your mum is going to take good care of you and the rest of us are going to help. There's no need to be afraid, lamb."

Minerva had expected their meeting to be tense today, but it really wasn't. Her mother was great with Annabelle, and the blonde witch already appeared to be finding her composure again.

The three witches managed to sit in harmonious silence for a moment before Isobel interrupted, yet again. The elder McGonagall stood up and brushed invisible wrinkles out of her robes. "Come now. It looks like neither of you have eaten in weeks." Turning around, Isobel failed to see the glance passed between the others. All she cared about was the fact that she was followed back towards the kitchen.

Minerva stood up, haphazardly pulling Annabelle up with her. The pair followed Isobel at a distance, not sure what to think of her presence. Annabelle was overwhelmed by the absurdity of it all. Everything simply seemed surreal.


	29. Ready in Roses

Alright, so maybe I didn't exactly tell the truth last chapter. I thought I'd be more available for posting, but I wasn't. I could give you a list of excuses, but the truth is I just haven't been writing much the past couple months partially due to responsibilities/health issues, but also partially just due to simply not wanting to write. However, I'm back. I won't promise super frequent updating, but I do hope to update more frequently especially with summer quickly on its way. Again, I am sorry for now updating until now.

Thanks go out to Sammy Ocean (x2), Juliefan1, leafstone, Rosa Clearwater, Zander, & ruth hammond (x3!) for all of your outstanding reviews. I appreciate them as always. Also, thank you PiER, lv4soccer, Goddess McG, mickeyjuly, Giraffes. 1, Rosa Clearwater, redwolfeye, leafstone, & Sammy Ocean for either adding this story to their favorites of subscriptions.

Disclaimer: I'm not J.K. Rowling even if I do make you guys wait as long as it takes her to write a book.

After about an hour of prodding, Isobel finally convinced both witches to eat a healthy breakfast. She was certainly pleased to see that her granddaughter didn't look nearly as pale as she had earlier. Minerva still looked as if a muggle vehicle had run her over and left her for dead. The bags under her eyes were absolutely dreadful and Isobel had to fight the urge to send her back to bed.

Albus had joined the trio as Annabelle finished choking down her food. He seemed unaffected by the tension in the atmosphere and went about his merry way, eating breakfast beside his wife. Belle loved seeing them side by side, just like at Hogwarts, but this only reminded her of her fears. What if she never saw them even sit together after today? She might never see them again! Sighing, she reached for her glass of water and took a sip before running her finger around the rim, somehow distracted by the sensations of it all.

Minerva was growing tenser by the second and even the air was affected by this. The curtains were waving, as if the window was open and the wind was rustling them. Her wand was actually rolling back and forth on the table, mere inches away from her fingers, which tightly held onto the hilt of her fork. Albus' hand on her forearm was doing nothing to calm her in the slightest. In fact, it only appeared to aggravate her more as the air crackled with magic swirling around them.

Minerva wasn't absolutely sure that it was simply her own magic reacting this way. Albus was the only one who appeared calm and the water in Annabelle's glass was swirling like a tidal pool. Minerva _knew_ that wasn't her. Annabelle was going to be a very strong witch at this rate. If Minerva's knowledge of her own magic was correct, it was definitely interacting with another witch or wizard's magic in the room and she was almost sure that particular person was sitting directly in front of her.

Minerva didn't notice the room's other inhabitants watching them curiously. Isobel stood back, leaning against the counter in front of the window. She could see everything in the room, except for her daughter's face since even Albus was giving her the occasional glance. He didn't seem fazed by what was going on. In fact, the elderly wizard seemed to be enjoying the magical display!

Annabelle's water had captivated her eyes. She loved how the liquid rose and fell in a beautiful display of her powers. She hadn't even meant to make the water move at first. It just happened, so she decided to consciously continue the water's ministrations as her finger circled the rim of the glass. Feeling eyes on her, she glanced up and was met with Minerva's striking green orbs. Her composure faltered and she stilled her hand, murmuring, "Did I do something wrong, Professor?"

Minerva ceased her own movements, eyebrows knitting together at the word, professor. "Of course not. I was merely watching you perform magic without your wand. I was very impressed with your skill." Her Scottish lilt became more pronounced as the minutes wore on. She blamed it on the nerves. "Though, I think it's about time we finished getting ready. Shall I let your hair down from that bun?"

Annabelle raised a hand to touch the mound of hair atop her head. She had managed to completely forget that Minerva had tied it up that morning already. Belle wasn't sure how to undo it herself, so she nodded her consent, smiling as the elder witch got up from her seat and moved behind her.

Minerva could have simply untied the bun with a wave of her wand, but this didn't occur to her as she began to carefully undo it, being cautious to make sure she didn't tug on her daughter's hair. She'd yet to figure out whether the child was tender headed or not. The child's hair fell to just below her shoulder blades now. It had grown about six inches since Minerva had met her. "How about you head upstairs and get ready? Do remember to dress nicely. It's expected that we all look our best today." Minerva gently squeezed her daughter's shoulder and watched as she slowly got up from her seat and made her way up the stairs.

Annabelle looked through her closet, but couldn't find anything that peaked her interest. Everything looked either too hot or not nice enough. Not knowing what else she could do, she crossed her arms and called for Lindy.

The petite house elf apparated into the room, ears still twitching from being called. She rose up onto her toes for a moment before settling back on her heels. She did this twice as she spoke, obviously nervous. "Good morning, Little Miss. How may Lindy help you?"

Belle shrugged, looking at her closet in frustration. "I don't know what to wear, Lindy. Minerva said she wants me to dress nicely, but it's too hot for any of my robes. What do I do Lindy?"

Lindy's ears perked up and she wrung her hands together in anticipation. "May Lindy make Little Miss an outfit for court?"

Annabelle couldn't have been any more surprised at that moment. "You want to _make_ me an outfit?"

Lindy nodded her head, growing more excited by the moment. "May I, Miss?"

The blonde witch shrugged, not knowing what else to do or say. "Sure, Lindy. That's fine."

Lindy snapped her fingers and disappeared, leaving Belle to her own thoughts.

Annabelle figured she may as well fix her hair while Lindy made her outfit. She thought about simply leaving it down, or may pulling it into a high ponytail, but quickly decided she needed something more complicated to occupy her mind. She decided to slowly French braid her hair, carefully pulling each section over one another as she gathered more and more hair into her hands. She was nearly finished when Lindy re-apparated into the room carrying two wrapped parcels.

Lindy handed both packages to Annabelle. "Lindy wanted Little Miss to pick which outfit she wanted to wear. Lindy made both."

Annabelle sat down on the bed and quickly unwrapped the first outfit. The parcel revealed a yellow knee-length sundress with red and pink silhouetted roses adorning it. The second parcel contained a simple checkered knee-length red dress. Annabelle thought that both dresses were quite beautiful and she couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that Lindy just made them. Sure, magic was quick, but this was crazy! Walking over to the mirror, Belle held each dress up to her body, pulling on the skirts a little to make them flare out. She turned back to the anxious house elf and held the yellow dress back up to her torso. "Do you think Minerva will like this one, Lindy? Do you think it will look good on me?"

Lindy bobbed her head up and down. "Oh, yes, Miss. Mistress will love the dress. Dress will look beautiful on you."

Annabelle grinned and moved to shut her bedroom door. She quickly shed her clothes and replaced the pajamas with her new yellow dress. Spinning in front of the mirror, she noticed a pair of red flats sitting beside her bed which were certainly not there before. Upon closer inspection, she noted pale pink, sparkly roses all over the sides and top of the flats. She slipped them onto her feet and grinned at how they simply fit perfectly – just like the dress.

After admiring her outfit for a moment, she turned to thank Lindy, but found that she had disappeared already. Not wanting to disrupt her anymore, she decided she'd have to thank her later. However, this served as a sobering reminder of what the day held. She may never be able to come back and thank Lindy again. This might be her last chance. Gathering her Gryffindor courage, she called for Lindy again.

Again, the house elf quickly apparated into the room, not wanting to make the Little Miss wait. "Oh, Little Miss does look lovely."

Belle blushed and wrung her hands together. "Uh, thanks, Lindy. I was just calling you to thank you for the dress and, really, for everything. You've helped me a lot while I've been here, and I just wanted to say thank you in case…" She trailed off, not really wanting to verbalize that fear.

Lindy rushed over to Annabelle and wrapped her in a hug. "You're oh so welcome, Miss. Lindy loves Little Miss so much." Stepping back, Lindy straightened out the Little Miss' dress. "Lindy hears Madames Poppy and Rolanda. Is Little Miss ready to see them?"

Annabelle glanced at the mirror before returning her gaze to the house elf. "I guess I'm ready."

Lindy's face split into a grin as she reached for Annabelle's cloak. "Don't forget this, Little Miss. You need to stay warm enough. Miss Weasley will be unhappy if you become ill before going to her house. Mistress will never let you leave if you become ill."

There were tentative plans for the following night. If the court case worked out alright, Annabelle was to spend tonight at McGonagall manor and the following night at the Weasley's. Lindy was correct though. Minerva would certainly keep Annabelle home if she got sick between now and then.

Annabelle accepted the cloak and trudged down the stairs. She had this sickening feeling that this would be the last time she ever descended these stairs. She really didn't want it to be the last time though. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she found Poppy, Rolanda, and her mother all sitting together on the couch. Isobel and Albus sat across from them in separate chairs.

The moment Poppy saw her, she jumped from her seat and came running. "Belle, you look beautiful. Is that new? Are you ready for today? Are you nervous? Did you eat enough?" The questions simply kept coming and coming.

Finally, Annabelle put her hands up to ward off her aunt. "Aunt Poppy, I'm fine. I'm – "

"Really, Poppy, leave the kid alone. She doesn't need interrogated before we even get to the Ministry." Even Rolanda's laughter was laced with anxiety. No one could escape the trial tensions today.

Poppy visibly retracted from her niece. "I'm sorry, dear. I didn't think. You really do look lovely, though." The medi-witch turned back to Minerva. "Did you get this for her, Minnie?"

Minerva strolled towards the pair, closely followed by Rolanda and Isobel. She pondered the question for a minute, staring intently at the dress. "I don't think I did. I don't recognize the dress. Annabelle, where did you get it?"

The blonde witch shrugged and looked over her shoulder, half expecting the house elf in question to be standing there. "Lindy made it for me when I went upstairs. I didn't know what to wear, so I asked her for help. Is that okay?"

Minerva wanted to be surprised, but that was so like Lindy. "Of course that's okay. I'm glad Lindy found something suitable for going to the Wizengamot."

The room fell into silence for a moment before erupting in noise. The fireplace sparked to life, bringing with it a brilliant green light. At the same moment, a small barn owl scratched the window, holding two envelopes in its beak. The Ministry seal was visible from across the room.

Albus sat in the arm chair closest to the window, so he stood up to retrieve the letters. One was addressed to himself, but the other was addressed to his wife. He sent the latter flying in her direction as she opened hers.

She no more than got the envelope open than two red-heads walked through the green flames. Ginerva immediately ran over to embrace her friend while Molly moved to talk with Rolanda and Poppy. Minerva unfolded her letter and began to read.

_Mrs. Minerva Marie Dumbledore McGonagall:_

_This letter is simply to remind you that you and Miss Annabelle Rosalie Wyte are due to arrive at the Ministry of Magic by 10:30am to prepare for your 11am hearing. Please have any family or friends there before 11am. _

_Yours sincerely,_

_Amanda Lux_

_Magical Child Services_

_Ministry of Magic_

Minerva couldn't help but roll her eyes. Surely they knew she wouldn't simply forget about the court hearing. Their little family had been anxiously awaiting it since she received the previous letter. After finishing the letter, she turned back to the crowd of people inhabiting her den. "Albus, what did your letter say?" At first she was simply curious, but seeing his troubled face, she knew. Striding toward him, she ended her comment with pursed lips as she pointed her finger at him. "Albus, don't even say it. You are not leaving us today."

"Minerva, you know I don't have a choice. With the recent _events_, I can't blame Cornelius for wanting more of my help and cooperation."

Annabelle stayed hip to hip with Ginny, wondering what in the world was going on between the two professors. Minerva stood in front of Albus, looking rigid with her nostrils flared. The two were whispering and Minerva only seemed to grow more upset by the moment.

After a few minutes of watching the pair bicker, Rolanda had enough. She sauntered over to them, placed her hands on her hips, and scolded the pair. "Do you two really think it's alright to be bickering like this in front of your eleven-year-old daughter on a day like today? Do either of you have any sense at all? Save it until after the court hearing if you have to gripe, but if you're not careful, I'll be trying for custody of Belle, so both of you grow up before I make you." With this, the flying instructor stalked away from them to rejoin the group of women standing near the fireplace.

Minerva took half a step back and sighed, crossing her arms. "Fine. Go help Cornelius, but we are talking about this later. He knows how important today is."

Albus took a step forward and grabbed Minerva shoulders. "We will talk about this. I'll also talk to Cornelius. Perhaps it was a simple mistake, Tabby. For now, just go win our case." With this, he lifted her chin and kissed her. "You know how to reach me if you need me. I'll come if something happens. I promise." With that, the elderly wizard turned on his heel and disappeared with a soft 'pop.'

Minerva turned to the rest of the room and forced a grin to dance across her features. "Albus won't be accompanying us to the hearing. He's been called away on business. He'll catch up with us later." Realizing that she'd yet to even acknowledge either Weasley's presence, she looked towards Annabelle and Ginny. "It's nice to see you, Ginerva. I hope your summer is going quite well." The professor then crossed the room to join her peers. "It's good to see you as well, Molly. Thank you so much for letting Ginny join us. I also appreciate your coming." Every wand on their side was a wand Minerva was thankful for. "Now, I don't see any reason to delay this day any further. Why don't we head that direction now?" With a nodded consensus from the rest of the room, Minerva turned toward the floo and sauntered that way.

Molly guided the girls toward the floo and gently took a handful of floo powder. "How about I go to the other side, and I'll be there to meet the girls. Then, you can make sure they get through safely, but they won't be lost one they get there. You can also make sure your wards are set once everyone is out. I don't want you to have to leave before you're ready. I'll make sure the girls are okay once they get there."

Minerva pursed her lips for a moment before nodding. It sounded like a good plan since she really wasn't comfortable leaving people in her home even for a few moments. "I'll wait until Rolanda and Poppy go through, too. Just take care of my…the girls."

Nodding, Molly spared Minerva the embarrassment of pointing out her slip up. "Of course I'll take care of the girls. Just send them behind me." Letting some powder sprinkle into the bottom of the floo, green sparks jumped to life. She turned back again. "It might be best to send them together." At Minerva's agreement, she looked back to the floo and walked in, dropping the powder and speaking, "Ministry of Magic."

Nearly as soon as Molly was gone, Annabelle and Ginny stepped forward, ready to join her on the other side. Before they could step into the floo, however, Minerva stepped forward and wrapped her soon-to-be daughter in a bone-crushing hug. "I'll see you in just a few minutes, kitten."

Belle buried her head in Minerva's robes and attempted to banish the tears from her eyes again. Mumbling, she spoke, "See you on the other side…" The blonde then stepped back and looked at Ginny, "You ready?"

The red head nodded and took Annabelle's hand. "I'm ready if you are." She didn't give the blonde any time to object as she took a handful of floo powder and stepped into the floo. Annabelle quickly joined her and then she tossed the powder down, mimicking her mother's voice as she spoke their destination.

In a rush of brilliant green flames, the Annabelle and Ginny arrived at the Ministry of Magic.


End file.
